Thursday night was one for the books as the USAO men’s basketball team (9-14, 7-12 SAC) got a much-needed win over the College of Ozarks (8-14, 6-13 SAC).
USAO and the Ozarks came out firing early as they traded three-pointers back and forth, leading to seven lead changes in the first half alone. After USAO was able to get some stops together, they poured it on the Ozarks with the offense staying hot. Senior Cade Allen tallied 19 points in the first half on 6-9 shooting from the field and 5-8 from three-point range.
Along with Allen’s marksmanship, two more USAO starters scored double-digit points, with sophomore Ryein Kennedy scoring 11 and junior Mohand Assad scoring 12. Senior Jaden Harrell kept the team efficient as well, recording 10 assists in the first half alone. Their offensive efforts put the Drovers up 53-37 at halftime.
This halftime saw an exciting event for the home crowd of USAO, as there was a half-court shooting contest. Anyone who was able to make a half-court shot successfully would have won a $250 gift card. Unfortunately, no one was able to land the shot and there was no winner for this prize.
USAO was able to keep the lead for the entire second half. While the Ozarks made a few pushes to cut the lead down to 10 or 12 at times, the Drovers were able to respond to every punch thrown and did so with a balanced attack. By the end of the game, four of the five starters scored double-digit points and the only one who didn’t was Harrell, who dominated the game differently. The Drovers were able to put the game on ice early and took the win 92-76.
Harrell set two school assist records in this win, claiming the single-game assist record with 16 assists and surpassing Stephon Hall for the all-time career assists record with 418.
This was just the type of win that the Drovers needed, as they were coming off a four-game skid. Head Coach Landon Hughey talked about the Drovers’ mindset coming into Thursday’s game,
“If you were at any of our practices during this stretch, you wouldn’t think this is a team on a four-game skid; these guys work hard, and this is a special group, we’re going to be a team that no one wants to see in March,” Hughey stated.
USAO men’s basketball is back in action at home Saturday, February 8th, against the John Brown University Golden Eagles (15-8, 13-6 SAC). They will play at 3:45 p.m. in the Drover Fieldhouse.
Preston Palm is a fourth-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
