Men's Basketball 1/25/2013 12:41:00 AM

Dustdevils can’t hold on, fall to Oklahoma Christian

Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (January 24) – Oklahoma Christian University was red hot from the free throw line knocking down 28-33 attempts (84.8 percent) including 25-27 in the second half to hold off the TAMIU men’s basketball team 92-81 Thursday night at the Eagles’ Nest.

“Our game plan was to take away their post play and we did a great job tonight in that regard,” said Head Coach Bryan Weakley. “We forced them to shoot perimeter jump shots, they just stepped up and made them.”

The Dustdevils’ plan to hold the Eagle’s leading scorer Will Reinke in check worked, but several others stepped up in his place to keep Oklahoma Christian on track. Reinke finished with only 10 points on the night, eight shy of his season average, but Nick Tate scored 19 off the bench while Kendre Talley added 17 and Brandon Troutman kicked in 16.

The Eagles jumped out to a 13-7 lead halfway through the first period, but two three-pointers by Felipe Vezaro and a layup from Matthew Culliver Jr. tied the game at 15. Oklahoma Christian scored five straight to reclaim the lead but a three-point play by Johnel Gray once again evened the game. Jayvin Reynolds hit back-to-back jumpers to give TAMIU a 26-22 lead, but the Eagles fought their way back to tie the game at 27 at the half.

The Dustdevils opened the second half with a 6-0 run, but Oklahoma Christian responded with an 8-0 run to jump back on top 35-33. With TAMIU leading 50-46 with 12:22 to play, Nick Tate converted consecutive three-point plays followed by a Willie Harper three and two free throws from Nick Troutman to put the Eagles up 57-50.

The Dustdevils cut the lead down to three points on a Johnel Gray three-pointer, but Oklahoma Christian answered with a crucial 8-0 run to push their lead out to 72-60. Vezaro and Jordan Clark made things interesting, each hitting shots to pull TAMIU within eight, but Reinke and Troutman each knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the Eagles up by 10. Vezaro, who finished with 15 points, hit another three with 25 seconds left to pull TAMIU within nine points at 90-81, but two more free throws by Nick Tate sealed the 92-81 win for the Eagles.

Gray led TAMIU with 17 points, while Clark had 14, Kevin Jefferson Jr. had 12 and Culliver had 10. The Dustdevils shot 49.2 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from three-point range. The Dustdevils also knocked down 64.7 percent of their free throws (11-17).

The Dustdevils overall record drops to 9-7 with the loss, while their conference record remains at 3-3. TAMIU will return to conference play this weekend visiting Dallas Baptist University on Saturday. The Dustdevils and the Patriots will tip off at 2 p.m.

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