NAIA

[Men's Basketball] Drovers Continue to Score in Bunches Against Texas Wesleyan

CHICKASHA, Okla. – Wednesday night, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (8-4, 6-1 SAC) continued their impressive start to conference-play with a dominant 106-89 victory against Texas Wesleyan University (5-5, 3-3 SAC). With the win, the Drovers have won five of the last six against the Rams, dating back to March 3, 2020, and USAO now leads the all-time series 14-10.In the opening minutes of Wednesday's showdown, both teams traded baskets and USAO held a narrow 22-20 lead midway through the first half. Texas Wesleyan held a 40-39 lead with only 3:35 remaining in the half, but the Drovers were able to go on an incredible 13-0 run to take a 52-40 lead into the break. Following halftime, the Rams attempted a comeback and cut their deficit to four with 12:22 remaining in regulation, but USAO stabilized and held a 78-67 lead midway through the second half. The Drovers closed out the game strong and led by as many as 20 with less than five minutes to play. USAO held strong in the closing minutes to wrap up the win. As a team, the Drovers shot 38-61 (.623) from the field, and 12-27 (.444) from three-point range. In comparison, the Rams shot 37-80 (.463) from the field, and 9-25 (.360) from deep. USAO held a large 45-33 advantage in the rebounding battle.TWU forced the Drovers into committing 17 turnovers, while only fumbling the ball 10 times themselves. USAO was whistled for 12 fouls and Texas Wesleyan was called on 16 infractions. The Rams went 6-13 (.462) from the free-throw line, while USAO went 18-23 (.783) from the charity stripe.This season, the USAO offense has been spectacular, even more so over the last several games. Through 12 games, the Drovers average 90.6 points per game and they have eclipsed 100 points in five contests. Science & Arts has gotten even hotter since the start of conference-play, averaging 91.3 points per game. Furthermore, over the last four games, USAO is averaging 101.3 points per game on 146-268 (.545) shooting from the field and 55-114 (.482) from beyond the arc.Five different Drovers finished Wednesday's game with double-digit point totals, led by Samkelo Cele (SR/Durban, South Africa) and Langston Gaither (SR/Alexandria, VA) who combined for 56 points. Samkelo Cele led the Drover offense once again, contributing his FIFTH consecutive performance of 27 points or more. Cele finished with 29 points on 10-13 shooting from the field and 3-5 from three-point range. The dynamic guard went 6-7 at the free-throw line and he also contributed five rebounds.Over the last five games, Cele is shooting 52-83 (.626) from the field, 15-23 (.652) from deep, and 25-29 (.862) from the charity stripe. Furthermore, he is averaging 28.8 points per game over the last five contests. Langston Gaither continued to show out, contributing 27 points on 10-15 shooting from the field, including 2-3 from deep and 5-7 at the charity stripe. Gaither chipped in four rebounds and a trio of assists. Over the last three games, Gaither is averaging 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.Gerard Makuntae (SR/Austell, GA) was a reliable contributor as usual, recording 14 points on 6-9 shooting, and he also hauled in nine rebounds. Jaden Harrell (SO/Oklahoma City, OK) delivered his best performance of the season, finishing with 13 points on 3-4 shooting from the field, and he also provided five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Cejay Mann (SO/Alma, AR) contributed 10 points and four rebounds, followed by Cade Allen (SO/Hammon, OK) with six points and four boards. Tyler Cauley (SO/Riverview, FL) provided a spark off the bench, tallying two points, four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. Logan Dolan (SO/Broken Arrow, OK) finished with three points, while Dallen Forsythe (SO/Dale, OK) added two points and three rebounds. The Sooner Athletic Conference is widely recognized as one of the top three most difficult conferences in the NAIA, and the Drovers have been on a dominant run against conference foes since the start of the 2020 season. During that time, USAO owns a 33-7 (.825) record in the regular season against the SAC, and they have collected a regular-season championship as well as a SAC Tournament championship. WHAT'S NEXT?The Drovers will be back in action for an exhibition game at Texas State University on Wednesday, December 21. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM in San Marcos, Texas.        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/usaoYouTube: Drover AthleticsTwitter: @DroverAthleticsFacebook: @DroverAthleticsInstagram: @drover_athleticsGIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers