USAO men’s basketball team (16-6, 11-5 SAC) faced Mid-America Christian University (MACU) (16-6, 12-4 SAC) in a conference matchup that saw USAO hold homecourt advantage Saturday, Feb. 3. The Drovers looked to get another win after beating Southwestern Christian University (SCU) earlier in the week.
The crowd could feel the tension in the building early between these two teams as they fought neck and neck for nearly ten minutes in the first half until junior guard Logan Dolan’s three-pointer started a run where it seemed like the Drovers couldn’t miss. USAO kept pushing their scoring run, where they outscored the Evangels 18-12 for the rest of the first half. USAO led going into half time with a score of 54-37.
The Drovers hit 71% (10-14) of their three-point shots in the first half, with senior guard Reggie Quezada, junior guard Cade Allen, and Dolan hitting two of those shots each. Junior guard Jaden Harrell also ended the half with an impressive six assists to go along with five points.
Quezada was a big part of the offense as he ended the half with ten out of USAO’s 54 points. However, the more intriguing stat from the first half is everyone who played in the half for USAO scored at least two points.
“Our emphasis was to have great pace and get the best shots possible every time down the floor. We moved the ball around today and that’s always a recipe for great shooting,” Quezada said.
Although the Drovers held a 17-point lead starting the second half, that didn’t mean the game was over. USAO continued to hold a lead over MACU for the entirety of the half. The Evangels wouldn’t go down without a fight though, bringing the score within two points around 12:15 to go in the second half. The Drovers rallied together to add three three-pointers and a layup, but a moment that go to crowd on its feet was when junior forward Niiehii Blackbear earned himself a dunk. These possessions quickly got the Drovers up to 82 points and a ten-point lead over MACU. From here, USAO never looked back, winning the game by 15 points, in a final score of 104-89. The icing on the cake for this matchup was USAO’s eight three-pointers made in the second half.
By the final buzzer, USAO had ten players with a made three-pointer which is the 3rd most three-pointers made in program history, with 18.
Quezada was a nightmare for MACU’s defense, ending the game with 24 points and five assists. Harrell was solid as well with 12 points and eight assists. Finally, Allen was as accurate as ever with 13 points and five assists on nearly perfect shooting from the field (4-5) and making all three of his shots beyond the arc.
“It’s all about picking the right spots. I understood what the defense was trying to do. I knew that being aggressive while looking for my teammates will eventually open up the game for all of us and it did. Almost everyone on our team scored tonight, I knew that guys were feeling it so it was all about finding the right shots for us,” Quezada said after the game.
The Drovers currently sit at 5th in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) standings and their next matchup is Thursday, Feb. 8, at Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) starting at 8 p.m.
Matthew Yokum is a second-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
