Goodwell, Okla- Another nail bitter for the men's basketball team faced a tough challenge on the road against No. 19 Oklahoma City University, falling narrowly to the Stars 66-63 in their first Sooner Athletic Conference road game of the season.

The game opened with Jerry Abushanab draining a three-pointer just over two minutes in, giving the Aggies their first bucket of the night. The teams remained evenly matched throughout the first half, with neither side able to gain significant separation. The Aggies trailed 36-34 at the break despite solid contributions from Amaree Brown, who tallied eight first-half points and controlled the boards.

In the second half, the Aggies came out firing and took control, highlighted by a layup from Kyle Belgrave II with 14:49 remaining. This gave the team its largest lead of the game, 44-36. However, the Stars responded with a surge of their own, reclaiming the lead with just over nine minutes to play.

The final minutes turned into a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading buckets and defensive stops. With nine seconds left on the clock and the Aggies trailing 66-63, Raul Nunez launched a three-point attempt to tie the game, but the shot didn't fall, sealing the win for the Stars.

Game Notes:

• Amaree Brown led the Aggies with 16 points and eight rebounds, shooting 50% from the field.
• Kyle Belgrave II recorded a double-double with 10 points and ten rebounds.
• The Aggies outscored the Stars in the paint with 42 points compared to the Stars' 26.
• Bench contributions Brice Langford scoring nine points and pulling down five rebounds.
• The Aggies struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 4-of-24 (16.7%) three-point attempts.
• The lead changed six times, and the score was tied in a tightly contested game on six occasions.
• Rebounding dominance: The Aggies grabbed 52 rebounds, including 20 offensive boards, contributing to 12 second-chance points.

Head coach Charles Belt mentioned after the game, "This conference is special because it allows you to play against ranked opponents every week! With that being said, competing with those teams is only step 1. At some point, you have to win those games. We are desperately in need of finding that recipe on how to win final possession games against ranked teams. Can we "play" with anyone… of course! But winning is still the ultimate goal."

The Aggies now focus on their next challenge, a road game against Southwestern Christian University on Saturday, December 7, at 4:00 PM in Bethany, Oklahoma.