Oakland City, IN - In what proved to be a tale of two halves, the Oakland City University men's basketball team hosted the Trojans of Trinity International University, out of Deerfield, Illinois, in the final game of the Dunn Hospitality Classic. At the end of the first period, OCU trailed the Trojans 52-46, but the Oaks were able to adjust defensively, making key free throws down the stretch, to secure a 93-88 win, improving to 3-12 on the season, while TIU fell to 8-9.
Tyquez Priester led six OCU players in double figures, scoring 19 points off the bench, on 7-10 shooting from the field, while going 5-6 from the foul line.
Allen Sims added 15 counters, on 7-11 shooting, followed by 12 each by
DJ Redding, JaMarcus Clark, and
Nathaniel Schmittler, while
Tanner Toopes chipped in with 10. Redding and Schmittler each nabbed a game high six rebounds in the contest, while Redding dished out a game best five assists.
Brandon McQueen led all scorers in the contest, notching 29 points for the Trojans, on 12-16 shooting, going 3-6 from three point range, and making his only two free throw attempts. Sterling Brown tallied 16, while Kyonte Thomas added 16. Leon Williams, TIU's post player, battled foul trouble throughout the game, finishing with just three points, while grabbing a team best five rebounds, tied with Nabil Kone. Thomas handed out five assists, while McQueen and Jack Kahoun each picked up three steals.
As a team, OCU scored on 35-62 (56.5%) of their shot attempts, including 6-10 (60.0%) from three point range. TIU made 34-69 (49.3%) from the field, despite scoring on just 15-39 (38.5%) in the second period. The Trojans made 8-23 (34.8%) from behind the arc, going 2-10 (20.0%) in the second period. The Oaks made a total of 17-23 (73.9%) from the foul line, compared to 12-16 (75.0%) for the visiting Trojans.
The Oaks held a 41-28 rebounding lead, including a 27-16 lead in the second half, leading 12-9 on the offensive glass. OCU had 16 turnovers, three more than the visitors, while leading in blocked shots 7-1. Steal totals were 11-5 in favor of the Trojans, while Oakland City handed out six more assists in the game, leading 18-12.
Oakland City University will return to action on Monday, January 3, when they travel to Harrodsburg, Kentucky, to take on the Pioneers of Campbellsville University-Harrodsburg. Tip off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.
