NAIA
[Men's Basketball] Drovers Suffer Defeat in NAIA Opening Round
PARK CITY, Kan. – Saturday evening, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (17-3, 9-2 SAC) opened the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship with a match-up against Oklahoma Wesleyan University (21-6, 13-4 KCAC) in Kansas. The Eagles took an early lead and shot the ball incredibly well to defeat the Drovers 100-73. Oklahoma Wesleyan got off to a hot start, and led 21-8 less than eight minutes into the game, but the Drovers fought back and cut the deficit to three points, with 8:15 remaining in the first half. OKWU once again extended the lead and held a 49-36 advantage at the half.Following the break, OKWU continued to extend their lead. The Eagles pushed out to a 31-point lead with 12:17 remaining in regulation. Oklahoma Wesleyan pushed the tempo until the very end and closed out the victory, advancing to the Round of 16 in Kansas City, Mo.The Drovers shot just 26-for-68 (.382) from the field, while the Eagles went 38-for-70 (.543). Additionally, OKWU went 15-for-31 (.484) from beyond the arc, and they outrebounded USAO 46-37.Offensively, USAO was led by Jaden Causwell (SO/Johns Creek, GA)'s 13 points. Stephon Hall (JR/Oklahoma City, OK), Elvin Rodriguez (SR/New York, NY), and Gerard Makuntae (JR/Austell, GA) each concluded with 11 points. Makuntae finished with a double-double, as he pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out four assists as well. Rodriguez grabbed six rebounds, while Hall tallied four rebounds and four assists.Trenton Sandifer (SR/Dallas, TX) and Tre'veon ellis each contributed six points, while Cameron Hines (SR/Ft. Cobb, OK) and Boubacar Diakite (JR/Mali) each scored five.USAO will now prepare for the 2021-22 season, after capturing the university's first SAC Tournament Championship since 2017. CONGRATS on another great season Drovers! Stay up to date on all USAO Athletics news by following us on our media platforms! Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.comLive-stream: www.portal.stretchinternet.com/usao/YouTube: USAO AthleticsTwitter: @DroverAthleticsFacebook: @USAODroversInstagram: @usao_drover_athletics