It took every second to decide the latest OCU men's basketball game, as they hosted the Tigers of Campbellsville University-Somerset, searching for their second win on the year. After falling behind 53-49 at the halftime buzzer, OCU battled back in a game that finished with 14 ties and 13 lead changes, and when the final horn sounded, the Oaks held on to a 104-103 victory.
The win gives the Oaks their second win, improving to 2-9 on the year, 2-1 in the Johnson Center, while the Tigers fall to 3-9 on the season.
Tyler Toopes led the way for the Oaks, scoring 26 points, while handing out five assists and grabbing four steals.
Jacob Sanford tallied 22 counters, including 20 in the second half.
Nathaniel Schmittler added 18 points and five assists, while hauling in a game-high 22 rebounds.
J.D. Hoover chipped in with 13, followed by
Kase Robinson, who notched 12, and
DJ Redding, who came off the bench to score 11.
Keelan Kennedy was the clear leader for Campbellsville University-Somerset, leading the team with 44 points, 12 rebounds, five blocked shots and five steals. Deion Finnison also had a double-double, scoring 18 counters and grabbing 11 missed shots. Antwan Hurt chipped in with 14 points, while TC Wright added 11.
As a team, OCU shot 38-76 (50.0%) from the field, including 7-19 (36.8%) from three point range. The Tigers connected on 45-99 (45.5%) of their shot attempts, going 5-19 (26.3%) from beyond the arc. The Oaks made 21-2 (80.8%) from the foul line, compared to 8-15 (53.3%) for CU-Somerset.
The Oaks held a 55-43 rebounding advantage, despite trailing 22-19 on the offensive boards. OCU handed out 22 assists, six more than the Tigers, while losing the turnover battle 24-10.
Next up on the schedule is a pair of double-headers, as Ohio University-Chillicothe will come to the Johnson Center over the weekend. The Lady Oaks will tip off on Saturday at 1:00, followed by the men's game at 3:00, while game time on Sunday is scheduled for 1:15 for the women, with the Mighty Oaks immediately afterwards.
