Oakland City, IN - Senior
Tyler Toopes became the 38th member of the OCU men's basketball 1,000 point club, as the Mighty Oaks hosted the Tigers of Salem University for the second consecutive day. After battling to a 52-51 halftime score, in favor of the Tigers, the Oaks were unable to keep pace, losing 116-102.
Toopes, who had a double-double in the contest, scoring a team high 26 points to go with 10 assists, is now one of just six players to reach the 1,000 point threshold in just two years in an OCU uniform.
Nathaniel Schmittler added 21 counters, on 10-13 shooting, before fouling out, while
Jacob Sanford chipped in with 17.
Jordan Forbes led the way for the Tigers, scoring 32 points, on 11-12 shooting, followed by 21 from Marko Tutunovic. Shawn Christian added 16 counters, followed by 12 from Malique Ross and 10 from Stan Smith.
The Oaks shot 37-71 (52.1%) from the field, including 7-22 (31.8%) from three point range. The Tigers made 44-75 (58.7%) of their shot attempts, making 13-30 (43.3%) from beyond the arc. OCU scored on 21-25 (84.0%) from the free throw stripe, compared to 15-20 (75.0%) for the visiting Tigers.
As a team, OCU led 37-35 in rebounds, thanks to an 11-9 edge on the offensive glass. The Oaks dished out 28 assists, compared to 12 for Salem, while turning the ball over 21 times, six more than their opponents.
The previous Mighty Oaks who played two seasons and scored 1,000 plus points are Robert Edwards (1,037, 1991-93), Sheldon Clay (1,050, 1986-88), Jared Maners (1,050, 2009-11), Brandon Hopf (1,084, 2008-10), and Chuck Cochren (1,136, 1987-89).
OCU will carry their 8-16 record into Tuesday night's matchup against Kentucky Wesleyan College, scheduled to tip off at 7:00 pm, in the Johnson Center.
