GOODWELL, Okla. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State men's basketball team (3-12, 1-9 SAC) fell Thursday night at home to first-place, RV Oklahoma City University (12-5, 9-2) by a final of 76-63.
 
Neither team shot the ball particularly well from the floor, but OCU made 10 more free throws than the Aggies and turned it over five fewer times during the contest.
 
In the first half, the Stars got out in front 22-14 nine minutes in, but Braedyn Ellison started an 8-0 run with a three-pointer. Christian Campbell then sandwiched a layup with a pair of triples himself to tie things at 25-25 with under six to play in the period.
 
Oklahoma City reclaimed all the momentum heading into halftime, however, going on a 13-0 run before a last-minute Campbell layup could make it 38-27, Stars, at the intermission. Helping OCU to its lead was a 13-4 edge in second-chance points through the first 20 minutes, aided by the visitors' 11 offensive rebounds.
 
Ederick Coleman Jr. and Aaron Williams Jr. combined to quickly cut OPSU's deficit to seven in the second half, but OCU seized control in a hurry, pushing its advantage to 18 with 9:37 to play.
 
Mike Carter was aggressive late, scoring six straight points for the Aggies before Campbell got going again to bring Panhandle State within eight, 64-56, with five minutes left. Once the Stars pushed the lead back to double digits, though, they never relinquished the advantage in the closing minutes.
 
Campbell had another efficient 26-point outing to lead all players Thursday. Carter scored a career-high 18 points on 10 field-goal attempts to lead all reserves.
 
The Aggies rebounded the ball much better in the second half, and four players – Campbell, Ja'Vian Baker, Mykel Lindsey and Carter – tallied six boards on the night. Defensively, Campbell and Kensington Grant-Brown spearheaded the charge with a pair of steals apiece.
 
What's up next: The Aggies stay at home Saturday afternoon for a 4 p.m. tipoff versus Southwestern Christian University (6-10, 4-7 SAC).