OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Panhandle State men's basketball team (3-11, 1-8 SAC) had its two-game winning streak end in a tightly contested, 78-74 defeat late Saturday afternoon at Mid-America Christian University (12-3, 6-3).
In a game that came down to the final minute, OPSU had built and maintained a sizable edge through the first half and beyond before the home team made its run to set up an exciting finish.
As has been the norm for the Aggies, the hot start was fueled by three-pointers, with their first 15 points once again coming from beyond the arc as they led 15-10 after five minutes and change.
By halftime, the visitors had made nine three-pointers on 15 tries and were shooting 50% overall from the field.
Aaron Williams Jr. was on fire, converting on 5-of-5 triples to keep MACU at bay, while
Christian Campbell,
Ja'Vian Baker and
Mike Carter were a combined 4-of-7 from deep.
Campbell buried his third trey of the game to open the second half and give Panhandle State its largest lead of the day, 46-32.
After Carter's three with 16 minutes remaining, however, the shots stopped falling for the Aggies, opening the door for the Evangels. MACU quickly took advantage, embarking on separate 7-0 and 14-0 runs across just a five-minute span.
Trailing 60-53, Campbell found his range again while
Mykel Lindsey also went to work down low. Aided by a clutch three-pointer and driving floater from Baker, OPSU had clawed all the way back to retake a 67-66 advantage with under four minutes to play.
A three-point lead was taken right back by the hosts, but Baker found Linsey inside for a layup through contact that brought the Aggies within one, 70-69, with 2:30 to go. Unfortunately, the Evangels had an answer on both ends of the court and were the beneficiaries of a tough call leading to free throws with 1:16 left. A late trey from the top of the key by Baker gave OPSU a chance trailing by two with 28 ticks left, but it was not enough.
Four Aggies finished in double figures, led by Campbell with 18. Williams Jr. followed with 15 points, while Baker had 13 to go with a team-high nine rebounds and five assists. Carter closed with 11 points, and Lindsey scored nine.
OPSU outrebounded MACU, 35-26, but lost the turnover battle, 17-8. Mid-America Christian also doubled up the Aggies on free-throw attempts, 20-10.
Coach Charles Belt's Thoughts: "Battled on the road! It's just extremely frustrating for such an amazing basketball game! Both teams played great. … Excited to get back home and play for our fans next week."
What's up next: Panhandle State returns home to Anchor D Arena on Thursday, Jan. 15, to play host to Oklahoma City University (11-5, 8-2) at 8 p.m.
