Ammad Drops 40 as USAO Holds off Hesston to Remain Unbeaten

HESSTON, Kan. – Saturday afternoon, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (4-0, 0-0 SAC) survived a late rally and clung to a 115-107 victory on the road at Hesston College (0-10, 0-0 CAC). 

The Drovers eclipsed 100 points for the third time in four games, and USAO has scored at least 97 every contest. They are still the highest scoring offense in the NAIA so far this season, averaging 108.3 points per game. The last time that USAO started 4-0 was in 2021-22, when the Drovers went 26-7 and won the SAC regular season championship. 

The Drovers got off to a terrific start on Saturday, jumping out to an early 9-1 lead, prior to controlling a 40-19 advantage midway through the half. Hesston gained some momentum late in the half, but USAO still managed to take a comfortable 58-42 lead into the break. 

Following halftime, USAO opened on an 8-2 run and the Drovers led 82-67 with 10 minutes to play in the game. However, the Drovers would go cold and struggled breaking the press, allowing the Larks to pull withing 10 points (98-88) with 2:45 remaining in regulation. Hesston continued to force USAO into miscues and cut their deficit to seven (107-100) with 45 seconds to go. The Larks got within six points in the final seconds, but the Drovers managed to hold off the late surge.

At the conclusion of the contest, USAO's offense shot 39-63 (.619) from the field, 10-17 (.588) from beyond the arc, and 27-37 (.730) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Hesston shot 37-75 (.493) from the field, 12-29 (.414) from deep, and 21-26 (.808) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers won the rebounding battle 42-30, but Hesston forced USAO into committing 24 turnovers, while only fumbling the ball 16 times themselves. The Larks scored 32 points off turnovers, while the Drovers only converted 24 points off turnover. 

USAO was whistled for 20 fouls, while Hesston was called for 25 violations.

Mohand Ammad continued his historic start to the season, recording his second 40-point performance through the team's first four games. Ammad shot 14-19 from the field, including 4-6 from three-point range, and went 8-10 from the free-throw line. Additionally, he hauled in six rebounds, dished out three assists, and stole the ball twice on defense. 

The Frenchman is currently second in the NAIA in scoring (32.0 PPG), while shooting 60.6 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from deep, and 80.8 percent at the charity stripe.

Jamouri McCalister delivered his second consecutive 20-point performance off the bench, concluding with 21 points on 7-9 shooting from the field. The lightning-quick guard also contributed five rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in 23 minutes of action. 

Bryce Cowns showed once again that he will be one of the most dangerous freshmen in the conference this season, scoring 19 points on 7-14 shooting from the field, including 3-5 from deep. Cowns grabbed six rebounds, distributed two assists, and stole the ball twice. Through four games, Cowns is averaging 14.8 points on 53.3 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Elijah Burney was superb for the second game in a row, producing 16 points, six assists, and a pair of steals. Burney was clutch at the free-throw line, going 11-12.

Chris Yapo finished with 10 points on 5-7 shooting from the field, in addition to six rebounds and a block. 

Sam Faraday-Bensley closed with six points, seven rebounds, and three assists, followed by fellow Aussie, Roman Lutton with three points and six rebounds. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will return to action on Thursday, Nov. 20 as they open conference-play against Oklahoma City University. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 PM CT inside Drover Fieldhouse.  

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