NAIA

[Men's Basketball] #16 Drovers Open 2022 With Road-Victory at Wayland Baptist

PLAINVIEW, Texas – Thursday night, the No. 16 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (12-3, 7-1 SAC) earned a 73-70 victory on the road at Wayland Baptist University (7-8, 3-5 SAC). The Drovers and Pioneers traded buckets throughout the entirety of the first half, exchanging the lead four times, but after 20 minutes of play the score was even at 31-31.Following halftime, the score remained tight, but with 10 minutes remaining in regulation the Drovers were able to hold onto a narrow 48-46 lead. With 3:22 remaining in regulation, Cameron Hines (SR/Ft. Cobb, OK) knocked down a trio of free-throws to give the Drovers a 61-60 lead, followed by another lay-up just seven seconds later. In the closing minutes of the game, the Drovers held strong and closed out their 12th victory of the season.Despite shooting for a low percentage from the field (.354), the Drovers made up for it by going 11-30 (.367) from 3-point range and 16-18 (.889) from the free-throw line. Science & Arts held a small advantage in the rebounding battle (36-35), and they forced the Pioneers into committing 21 turnovers, while only committing 16 themselves. In the closely battled conference contest, the lead was exchanged nine times and there were seven ties. Wayland Baptist led by as many as seven with 14:52 remaining in the first half, and the Drovers also led by as many as seven with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Cameron Hines gave a spectacular performance in the win, scoring 25 points on 7-11 shooting from the field and went 6-7 from beyond the arc. Additionally, Hines was a perfect 5-5 at the charity stripe and he also contributed a pair of steals on defense. Rudy Pittman (FR/Tulsa, OK) and Elvin Rodriguez (SR/New York, NY) each delivered strong performances off the bench. Pittman closed with 11 points and five rebounds, while Rodriguez added 10 points in only 11 minutes of playing time. Stephon Hall (SR/Oklahoma City, OK) concluded with nine points and three steals. Rory Pantophlet (JR/Philipsburg, Sint Maarten) flirted with a double-double, recording eight points and eight rebounds. Tre'veon Ellis (SR/Oklahoma City, OK) and Gerard Makuntae (SR/Austell, GA) each closed the game with five points. Makuntae added three rebounds, while Ellis contributed eight rebounds.  WHAT'S NEXT?The Drovers were scheduled to return to action on the road on Saturday, January 8 when they were to battle at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, however OPSU has forfeited the game due to COVID-19 cases within the program. Therefore, the Drovers next game is scheduled for Thursday, January 13 when the Drovers head to Siloam Springs, Ark. to take on John Brown University. 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