Oakland City, IN - The Oakland City University men's basketball team continued their strong play in the Johnson Center, as they hosted the Pioneers of Campbellsville University-Harrodsburg. After building a 51-35 halftime lead, the Oaks never looked back in the second half, winning 106-66.
Nathaniel Schmittler scored a career high 31 points, on 15-22 shooting, while hauling in a game best 12 rebounds.
Tyler Toopes also had a double-double, posting 27 counters to go with 11 assists.
DJ Redding, making his first collegiate start, put up 18 points, while
Kase Robinson added 17 and
Jacob Sanford chipped in with 11.
Shadarno Clarke led the way for the Pioneers, with 20 points and 10 rebounds, followed by 17 points from Jamal Weaver. Devin Baker also reached double figures, scoring 13 points in the loss.
"We were able to put runs together this game instead of letting the other team get back in it when we get ahead," stated Head Coach
Lee Moore. "As a team, we pulled together and continued to build on our lead and push on to the win. We need to keep up that intensity going forward."
As a team, OCU connected on 49-83 (59.0%) of their shot attempts, going 4-14 (28.6%) from three point range. CU-Harrodsburg made 27-70 (38.6%) of their field goal tries, making just 3-22 (13.6%) from beyond the arc. The Oaks went 4-6 (66.7%) from the foul line, compared to 9-10 (90.0%) for the visitors.
The Mighty Oaks held a 47-31 rebounding advantage, including a 16-12 lead on the offensive glass. OCU handed out 33 assists, compared to just 14 for the Pioneers, while turning the ball over 12 times, seven fewer than CU-Harrodsburg.
OCU will be back in action on Saturday, February 1, when they host the Bulldogs of Boyce College. Tip off in the Johnson Center is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
