The Oakland City University men's basketball team, holding a record of 3-3, hosted the 5-2 Chargers of the University of Alabama-Huntsville, their fourth NCAA DII opponent of the season, looking to better their 87-79 home loss from a season ago.
After falling behind 10-0 to start the game, Oakland City clawed their way back, holding a 40-38 halftime lead.
The Oaks were able to build their advantage to as many as 11 points in the second period, with just over four minutes to play. However, the Chargers found their shooting stroke in the final minutes, and were able to overcome the deficit to win 77-76 in the final seconds.
Following a UAH three point basket, freshman guard Jacob Sanford made a shot to give OCU a ten shot lead with 3:07 to play. The Chargers scored on a tip in and two three pointers to cut the lead to two with 1:23 left on the clock.
After a pair of free throws by OCU freshman Bryant Nalley, the Oaks saw a four point lead, but back-to-back scores by Sam Orf gave UAH their first lead of the second half.
Andrew Scott made a tough jumper with 19 seconds to play to give OCU the lead. After a Mighty Oak foul with five second left, Huntsville inbounded the ball under their own basket, and scored with two seconds left, making the final score 77-76, with Oakland City on the short end.
Scott led the way for the Mighty Oaks, scoring 23 points on 8-17 shooting, including 2-6 from three point range, and 5-7 from the foul line. Jacob Sanford tallied 19 counters, while fellow freshman Bryant Nalley came off the bench to post 12. Tyler Toopes and Logan Worthington each scored 11, as five OCU players reached double figures in scoring. Toopes grabbed a team best six rebounds, while Scott had team highs of seven assists and two blocked shots.
UAH's Orf led all scorers in the contest, going 10-14 from the field, including 4-6 from three point range, while making both of his free throws, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds. JJ Kaplan, who scored the game's final basket, added 14 counters, while Dalton Barkley and Tanner Finley each added 10. Seth Swalve handed out a game high 10 assists from his point guard position.
For the game, OCU shot 27-61 (44.3%) from the field, making 10-28 (35.7%) from three point range. The Chargers connected on 33-67 (49.3%) of their shot attempts, including 9-33 (27.3%) from beyond the arc. The Oaks made 12-16 (75.0%) from the foul line, compared to 2-2 (100.0%) for the visitors.
The Oaks were outrebounded 44-26 in the contest, including a 16-9 deficit on the offensive boards. The Chargers handed out 19 assists, one more than the home team, while turning the ball over 17 times, compared to just nine give aways for OCU.
Huntsville scored 48 of their points in the paint, 30 more than OCU, while the Oaks outscored the Charger bench 12-10, all from Nalley. The game saw the lead change hands 12 times, with eight ties in the contest.
Next up for the Mighty Oaks will be a home contest against Ohio State University-Mansfield, as OCU hosts the Mavericks for a double-header Saturday and Sunday. The OCU men will play at 3:00 on Saturday, while the women will follow at 5:00. Then on Sunday, the Lady Oaks will tip off at 1:15, followed by the men's team at 3:00.
