NAIA

[Men's Basketball] #15 Drovers Continue to Shine in Victory Against Texas Wesleyan

CHICKASHA, Okla. – Monday night, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (19-4, 14-2 SAC) picked up their 11th win in their last 12 games with an impressive 102-87 performance against Texas Wesleyan University (17-7, 10-6 SAC). The Drovers have now won seven of the last ten matchups between the conference foes. With the win, the Drovers lengthen their lead in at the top of the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. Science & Arts now holds a one game lead over SAGU heading into the final six games of the regular season. In the back-and-forth opening half, the lead switched sides 16 times as the teams traded buckets. Texas Wesleyan led by as many as six in the first half, but the Drovers were able to pull away from the Rams in the closing minutes and took a 52-46 lead into halftime. After 20 minutes of play both teams shot 18-35 (.514) from the field.Following the break, the Drovers maintained control for majority of the half and pushed their lead to as many as 17 points in the final minutes of regulation. At the conclusion of regulation, the Rams actually held higher shooting percentages, going 33-62 (.532) from the field and 7-18 (.389) from three-point range. The Drovers made up for their lack of shooting efficiency by going 29-37 (.784) from the free-throw line, and they also outrebounded the Rams by a margin of 42-38. Additionally, Science & Arts forced Texas Wesleyan into committing 17 turnovers, while only fumbling the ball six times themselves. The Drovers outscored the Rams in the paint 52-44 and held a 24-7 margin in points off turnovers. Five Drovers scored in double-figures, and two players recorded double-doubles. Stephon Hall (SR/Oklahoma City, OK) led the way for Science & Arts, scoring 25 points on 8-15 shooting from the field and 7-8 shooting from the free-throw line. Hall also dished out a season-high of 10 assists and he collected a trio of steals. Cameron Hines (SR/Ft. Cobb, OK) and Elvin Rodriguez (SR/New York, NY) also delivered high scoring performances. Hines finished with 18 points, four rebounds, and a pair of steals, while Rodriguez added 19 points on 8-11 shooting from the field. Gerard Makuntae (SR/Austell, GA) was a force to be reconned with, recording his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Makuntae also tallied three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Tre'veon Ellis (SR/Oklahoma City, OK) provided his usual spark off the bench, contributing 11 points on 4-4 shooting from the field. Ellis also hauled in four rebounds and three steals. Rory Pantophlet (JR/Philipsburg, Sint Maarten) closed with seven points and four rebounds, while Logan Dolan (FR/Broken Arrow, OK) added six points and a pair of boards.  WHAT'S NEXT?The Drovers aim to continue their momentum as they are scheduled to face Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan. on Thursday, February 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 PM CT.                 Stay up to date on all Science & Arts Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.comLive-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao/YouTube: Drover AthleticsTwitter: @DroverAthleticsFacebook: @DroverAthleticsInstagram: @drover_athleticsGIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers