Oakland City, IN - After struggling through much of the first half of the season, the Mighty Oaks basketball team is starting to turn things around. Winners of five of their last eight games, the Oaks hosted the Bulldogs of Boyce College, looking to continue their strong play.
The first half proved tough, as neither team was able to pull away, going into the locker rooms at a 44-44 tie. But OCU came out strong in the second period, opening with a 16-2 run. The Oaks never looked back, finishing with a 107-84 victory, improving to 7-12 on the year.
Nathaniel Schmittler scored a game high 30 points, his second 30 plus point game in a row, and third of his last four, while hauling in a game best 11 rebounds.
Tyler Toopes added 25 counters to go with a game high nine assists, while
Kase Robinson also had a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 boards.
Jacob Sanford also notched 18 tallies, followed by 10 points, all in the second half, by
DJ Redding.
Bailey Benham led the way for the Bulldogs, scoring 26 points, while Grant Billings had 20 counters and eight rebounds. Tyler Nauert chipped in 18, followed by Isaac Gibson added 12.
As a team, OCU scored on 41-74 (55.4%) of their shot attempts, going 10-20 (50.0%) from three point range. The Bulldogs connected on 30-62 (48.4%) of their field goal tries, making 11-29 (37.9%) from beyond the arc. The Oaks made 15-26 (57.7%) from the foul line, compared to 13-21 (61.9%) for Boyce College.
The Mighty Oaks held a 46-31 rebounding advantage, including a 17-9 lead on the offensive glass. OCU handed out 25 assists and turned the ball over nine times, compared to 17 assists and 15 turnovers for the Bulldogs.
OCU will be back in action on Tuesday, February 4, when they travel to Georgetown College, in Georgetown, Kentucky. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.
