Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score Goodwell, Okla.—After a short break for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Aggie men were back in action in the Oscar Williams Field House Saturday afternoon as they played host to the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

The Aggies struggled against a strong Bulldog defense which helped land SWOSU an 86-62 victory and hold the Aggies to a 1-5 overall record. OPSU Coach Jerry Olson gives SWOSU credit saying, "They really moved the ball well and played great defense; they are a well-coached team."

The Bulldogs owned the lead throughout the game with the exception of three score-ties from the Aggies. SWOSU jumped out to a 13-point lead by the 11-minute mark, and the Aggies battled to a 26-26 tie with five minutes left in the first half with a shot good for three from Marquavius Williams. OPSU evened the score again with 3:13 on the clock, but the Bulldogs followed up with three layups and a three-pointer to close the half and took a nine-point lead going into the locker room (39-30).

SWOSU opened the second half with a layup and the Aggies answered with points in the paint as well, coming from the hands of DeShawn Dean. Payson Slater came through with three points for the Aggies maintaining an 11-point deficit, but the Bulldogs continued to find the net scoring fifteen unanswered points in less than five minutes and gaining a 26-point lead. The Aggies played hard but were unable to climb ahead.

Coach Olson was really pleased with his team's effort but was disappointed with their ability to block out and get rebounds; he felt they gave up easy put-backs and some easy shots. "We missed a lot of close-ins and a few threes that we should have made."

With this week's revised starting line-up, Olson feels that his team is still trying to find their chemistry. "We keep having to change line-ups and searching for a rotation of guys that can defend and rebound; we're getting better every day though and I am really pleased with this team's effort."

Leading the Aggies in scoring was junior transfer John Lazenby who played his first game for OPSU on Saturday; Lazenby finished with 15 points in his 25 minutes of playing time going 5-9 from the field with three shots from beyond the arc and a perfect 2-2 from the line. Antonio Manns, Jr. was well-covered by the Bulldogs but still managed 14 points, three rebounds and three steals on the game.

Jared Straight was also a big contributor for the Aggies earning 11 points on three threes and two shots from the line. Payson Slater led his team in rebounds with five. SWOSU's Martell Collins scored a game-high with 18 points and also led the game in rebounds with ten. SWOSU held OPSU to a 35 percent shooting percentage from the field and out-scored the Aggies in the paint 28-14.

The Aggies will take their home court again Tuesday, Dec. 2 with a 7 p.m. game against Hillsdale Baptist University. There will be an Ugly Sweater contest at halftime and all Aggie fans are encouraged to don their tackiest holiday apparel. Fans are also reminded to bring canned or non-perishable food items to all home games through Dec. 18 in support of the Aggies CAN Make a Difference Food Drive benefitting the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry of Guymon.