It was a record setting evening in the Johnson Center, as the Mighty Oaks basketball team hosted the Owls of Warren Wilson College, out of Asheville, North Carolina. After taking a 63-45 halftime lead, the Oaks were able to respond to every run, winning by the final score of 126-102.
Logan Worthington scored a career high 39 points, making 15-26 from the field, while going 9-11 from the foul line, while hauling in a game high 11 rebounds. Tyler Toopes, returning from a wrist injury, notched his second triple-double of the season, posting 34 points, his most in an OCU uniform, on 10-12 shooting from the field and 12-14 from the foul line. His 11 assists was a game high, while his 10 rebounds were second.
Andrew Scott posted 16 points, but was limited in the second half with foul trouble. Nathaniel Schmittler notched 13 counters, while grabbing nine rebounds and handing out nine assists, while Jacob Sanford came up with 13 points and seven assists. Bryant Nalley came off the bench to score 11, rounding out six OCU players in double digits.
Jordan Gant paced the Owls, scoring 33 points, on 13-22 shooting, including 5-11 from beyond the arc. Brent Davis added 14 points, followed by 13 from Jakorian Martin. Jaquann Lockhart picked up 11 counters, while blocking three shots in the loss.
As a team, the Oaks shot 43-68 (63.2%) from the field, including 7-17 (41.2%) from three point range. The Owls connected on 38-80 (47.5%) of their shot attempts, going 16-39 (41.0%) from distance. OCU made 33-42 (78.6%) of their free throw tries, compared to 10-23 (43.5%) for the visitors.
The Mighty Oaks held a 44-33 rebounding advantage, despite trailing 12-9 on the offensive glass. OCU handed out 36 assists, compared to 18 for the Owls, while losing the turnover battle 20-17.
Worthington's 11 boards moved him into fifth on the career rebounding list. His 646 career total passed Chuck Cochren (1987-89), while hauled in 639 in the blue and white.
The combined 228 points scored in the contest ranks as the ninth highest in OCU history. The last time the Oaks scored more than 126 points in a game was against Queen City Christian College, in the Johnson Center, on November 28, 2015, when OCU won 127-51.
Next up for the Oaks is a home contest against the Bulldogs of Wilberforce University in a rematch of last year's CCNIT championship game. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm, in the Johnson Center, on Wednesday, January 23.
