Oakland City, IN - After opening a 28-26 halftime lead, the Mighty Oaks were hoping to avenge their November 13 loss, playing host to the Wildcats of Bethel University (TN). However, after retaking the lead at 43-42 with 11:31 left to play, the Oaks were outscored 28-15 the rest of the way, losing by the final score of 70-58. There were a total of four ties and 14 lead changes before the Wildcats were able to get the game under control down the stretch. The loss brings OCU's record to 1-10 on the season, while the Wildcats improved to 6-3.
JaMarcus Clark came off the bench to lead the Mighty Oaks in scoring, putting home 16 points, on 7-13 shooting, including 2-4 from three point range.
Nathaniel Schmittler was the only other OCU player to reach double digits, scoring 14 points on 6-9 shooting. Clark also was the only player to pull down double digits in rebounds, nabbing 10 missed shots.
DJ Redding chipped in with eight boards and five rebounds in the loss.
Drew Thomas paced the Wildcats, scoring a game high 18 points, on 8-15 shooting, going 2-4 from beyond the arc. Kamron Rose added 14 points to go with a team best eight rebounds, while Jamarius Mayberry tallied 11, making 4-8 from the field.
As a team, the Oaks made 23-53 (43.4%) from the field, including 5-16 (31.3%) from three point range. Bethel connected on 29-58 (50.0%) of their shot attempts, going 8-20 (40.0%) from long range. OCU made 7-10 (70.0%) from the foul line, compared to 4-7 (57.1%) for the visiting Wildcats.
The Oaks trailed 35-27 in rebounds, including a 9-5 deficit on the offensive glass. Oakland City handed out just nine assists, compared to 12 for the Wildcats, while winning the turnover battle 13-11.
Next up for the Oaks is a trip to Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Saturday, December 11. Tip off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
