The Oakland City University men's basketball team hosted the Phantoms of East-West University, in a rematch of their January 5th 106-63 victory. OCU turned a 60-37 halftime lead into a 105-76 win, their 11th straight.
Senior forward Andrew Scott entered the night needing 15 points to become only the second OCU player to reach 2,000 career points. It took less than a half for the South Knox High School product to reach that mark, scoring his 2,000th point on a foul shot with 6:24 to go in the first frame.
Scott finished the game with 30 points, on 11-21 shooting, while fellow senior Logan Worthington tallied a double-double, with game highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, while making 13 of his 22 shots. Nathaniel Schmittler added 14 counters before fouling out midway through the final period, while Tyler Toopes picked up seven points, seven rebounds and a game high 12 assists.
Kaleb Thomas led the way for the Phantoms, scoring 28 points, on 11-17 shooting. Naija Chandler added 11 counters, while Jeohnni Moore came off the bench to post 10. Carl Moore, who scored 18 in their January 5th meeting, struggled to find his shooting touch, making just one of his 15 tries, but led the team with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.
As a team, OCU shot 40-75 (53.3%) from the field, including 6-20 (30.0%) from beyond the arc. EWU connected on 29-81 (35.8%) of their shot attempts, making 8-32 (25.0%) from three point range. The Oaks made 19-23 (82.6%) from the free throw line, compared to 10-13 (76.9%) for the visitors.
For the game, the Mighty Oaks held a 53-40 rebounding advantage, despite trailing 16-14 on the offensive boards. OCU handed out 29 assists, compared to just 13 for the Phantoms, while losing the turnover battle 13-11.
The Mighty Oaks will look to extend their 11 game win streak, all in the Johnson Center, as they host the Lakers of Wright State University-Lake, out of Celina, Ohio, for a weekend series. The OCU women will take on WSU-Lake on Saturday at 1:00, followed by the men's game at 3:00, with game times shifting on Sunday to 1:15 and 3:00.
