Oakland City, IN - In their first conference game as members of the River States Conference, the Oakland City University men's basketball team hosted the Bearcats of Brescia University, renewing a conference rivalry as the Mighty Oaks rejoined the NAIA and the conference they had left a few decades ago.
In what proved to be a tough battle throughout, the Mighty Oaks held the lead nearly all of the opening frame, and took a four point lead into the locker room at halftime of the game, 43-39. The second half saw OCU grow their lead to as many as 10 points, at 69-59, with 9:28 left to play, but the Bearcats would respond, cutting their deficit to just two points, thanks to a 10-2 run over the next minute and a half. They teams would trade baskets until Brescia gained their first lead of the second half, pulling ahead 79-78, with just under 4:30 left on the clock. But OCU immediately retook the lead and never looked back, winning by the final score of 95-87.
Overall, there were four lead changes and five ties in the contest, as the Mighty Oaks improved to 2-3 on the season, including 1-0 in conference play. The Bearcats fell to 0-3 on the season, and 0-1 in the conference.
Senior center
Nathaniel Schmittler tallied a double-double for OCU in the victory, scoring a game high 25 points, while hauling in 12 rebounds, while freshman forward Donovon McNeal added 19 counters. Schmittler connected on 9-11 shots, going 7-8 from the foul line, while McNeal made 7-11 from the field, and 5-6 from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard
DJ Redding came off the bench to score 13 points, while seniors
Beau Hefner and
Kase Robinson each handed out six assists.
Ricky Shuford led the way for the Bearcats squad, posting 23 points, on 10-19 shooting, while pulling down 12 rebounds. Desha Curtis came off the bench to post 19 counters, while Jeremy Stewart added 10.
For the game, OCU shot 33-56 (58.9%) from the field, including 4-7 (57.1%) from three point range, compared to 35-78 (44.9%) for Brescia, who made 8-26 (30.8%) from beyond the arc. The Oaks went 25-33 (75.8%) from the free throw line, compared to 9-13 (69.2%) for the Bearcats.
The Oaks held a 37-35 rebounding edge, despite trailing 13-6 on the offensive boards. OCU handed out 26 assists, while committing 18 turnovers, compared to 16 assists and 19 turnovers for the visitors.
Next up for the 2-3 Mighty Oaks is another home contest, as they host Bethel University on Wednesday, December 9, tipping off in the Johnson Center at 7:00 pm.
