Oakland City, IN - Looking to improve on their 100-68 loss from November 20, the Oakland City University men's basketball team hosted the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan College. In a game that saw seven lead changes and three ties, the Mighty Oaks proved they weren't going to roll over this time around.
Trailing 34-31 at the halftime break, OCU found themselves behind by as many as 22 points, at 62-40, with just under nine minutes to go. But the Oaks responded by scoring the next 13 points, cutting the lead to nine. But the Panthers made the plays they needed to down the stretch, winning 74-62.
Tyler Toopes posted game highs of 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals, as the senior led the way for the Oaks in scoring for the sixth straight game, moving up to 35th on the all time OCU scoring list.
Nathaniel Schmittler tallied 19 counters, falling two rebounds shy of a double-double, while
Kase Robinson added 11 points and three blocked shots.
Adam Goetz paced the Panthers, scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds, both team highs. Nathan Boyle chipped in with 12 points and five boards, while Ben Sisson and Wyatt Battaile each scored 10.
As a team, OCU made 22-52 (42.3%) of their shot attempts, going 5-13 (38.5%) from three point range. KWC connected on 28-58 (48.3%) of their field goal tries, including 10-29 (34.5%) from beyond the arc. The Oaks made 13-14 (92.9%) of their free throws, compared to 8-10 (80.0%) for the visiting Panthers.
The Oaks trailed 32-31 in rebounds, thanks to a 6-5 deficit on the offensive glass. Each team handed out 14 assists, while OCU turned the ball over 17 times, compared to 15 turnovers for the Panthers.
Oakland City University will host Southeastern Baptist College for a double-header on Saturday, in the Johnson Center, for homecoming. Game times are 1:00 for the women's game, followed by 3:00 for the men.
