Oakland City, IN - After losing their last three games, the Mighty Oaks basketball team hosted the Falcons of Simmons College of Kentucky, out of Louisville, looking to get back to their winning ways. After a hard fought 36-60 halftime lead, OCU had to continue to battle until the final buzzer, winning by the final score of 75-74.
In a game that saw seven ties and 11 lead changes, OCU retook the lead on a contested tip-in by
Tyler Toopes with 25 seconds left to play. The Falcons called a timeout, looking to take the lead back in the final seconds. After
Jacob Sanford deflected a pass out of bounds with under 10 seconds, Simmons called another timeout.
DJ Redding came up with a game-sealing block on a three point attempt, giving the Oaks their sixth victory of the year.
Toopes led the way for the Oaks, with team highs of 27 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals, going 10-19 from the field. Sanford added 16 counters, on 6-14 shooting, including 4-9 from three point range, followed by 14 from Redding, who made 6-10, including his only three point try.
Montrell Little scored a game high 30 points to lead the Falcons, making 11-21 from the field, while handing out three assists and nabbing four steals. Korey Mosley added 16 counters, making 5-8 from beyond the arc. Jonathon Henry chipped in with 10 points, while Deondray Latta hauled in a team best nine rebounds.
As a team, OCU shot 30-66 (45.5%) from the field, including 9-22 (40.9%) from three point range. Simmons connected on 28-64 (43.8%) of their shot attempts, going 8-25 (32.0%) from distance. The Oaks made 6-7 (85.7%) from the foul line, compared to 10-15 (66.7%) for the visitors.
The Oaks were outrebounded 41-33 in the contest, including a 14-10 deficit on the offensive glass. OCU handed out 20 assists, compared to 13 for the Falcons, and committed 15 turnovers, one less than their opponents.
OCU will be back in action on Wednesday, January 29, when they host Campbellsville University-Harrodsburg in the Johnson Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
