GOODWELL, Okla. - The Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggie men's basketball team lost a heated matchup this evening to the Southwestern Christian University Eagles with a final score of 77-65. Bringing their conference record to an even one and one. A match that was heavily reliant on which team could capitalize on the others' mistakes the most. Rodrigo Cristo and Jalen Thomas led the way for the Aggies with twelve points. 

On the game, Head Coach Mark Laird would say, "SCU is a very talented offensive team. We knew that going into the game. We put ourselves in a hole in the 1st half by missing lots of easy shots and giving them fast break opportunities. We didn't execute our overall game plan very well in the 1st half. We made the corrections for the 2nd half, but it was too much to overcome down the stretch."

As Coach Laird said, the Aggie offense did not start as hot as it usually would at the start of the game, as the Eagles would achieve a comfortable seven-point lead in the first few minutes. However, the half seemed to turn around somewhat off the hot hand of freshman Rodrigo Cristo, who would make back-to-back heavily contested shots for the Aggies to get them on the board. Senior, DK Sumo, would achieve a significant milestone in the Aggie program as he drained a three early in the first half to earn 1,000 points as an Aggie. 

It seemed that the intensity and physicality of the Eagles would get to the Aggies as they only managed a twenty-four shooting percentage in the first half to the Eagles' forty-eight percent. They were showing in the halftime score of 37-24. The Aggies not only suffered from the efficiency of the Eagles but also their ability to keep the Aggies from getting to the rim, outrebounding and blocking the Aggies in half. 

As the second half got underway, the Aggies would need to climb the mountain that was their thirteen-point deficit if they wanted to get their second conference win of the season. They would do just that starting the half. In a more Aggie-like manner, the offense became more deadly in the paint, which opened up their three-point shooters to be more effective in the game. Although the Aggies started hot, the Eagles could cool them off as the quarter went on. They were forcing the Aggies to take heavily contested shots and forcing turnovers. The Aggie offense could not find a meaningful run as regulation ended. The Aggies finished the half shooting forty-five percent from the floor, thirty-three percent from three, and eighty-six percent from the line. 

The Aggies saw numerous contributors in their loss. They had two players with double-digit points, five with multiple steals, and four who made all their free throws in the contest. The Aggies look to build upon the positives against a tough Southwestern Christian team. They hit the road following Monday, November 22nd, to Portales, New Mexico, to take on Eastern New Mexico University at 6 PM for an exhibition match.