Box Score WAXAHACHIE – Freshman
Jordan Tolbert nailed three free throws in the final 19 seconds to help lift Wayland Baptist to a 75-71 victory over No. 22 Oklahoma City University in the quarterfinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament here Thursday.
In a game that ended just before midnight, the sixth-seeded Pioneers (19-11) went on a 16-5 run to take a 12-point lead with 6:00 to play. But the third-seeded Stars (15-10) answered with their own 16-5 stretch – capped by a 3-pointer from Terence Bonhomme with 27 seconds left – to pull to within one, 72-71.
Tolbert then came through for defending tournament champion Wayland as the SAC Freshman of the Year made two free throws with 19 seconds left to put the Pioneers up by three. Bonhomme then missed the potential game-tying 3-pointer, which Tolbert rebounded. After being fouled with 1.5 seconds showing, Tolbert ended OCU's season by hitting a final free throw.
Tolbert finished with 15 points, while
Robert Waters put in a game-high 20.
Maurice Redmond recorded 17 points and 11 boards for his sixth double-double of the season.
Jordon Johnson added 11 points for the Pioneers, who shot 50 percent (24-of-48) from the field, including 9-of-19 from 3-point range. They made 18-of-25 free throws.
OCU, which got 17 points from Jonathan Reed, shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field, including 5-of-15 from long range. The Stars made 10-of-15 foul shots.
OCU held a 33-28 rebounding edge, and each team committed 24 turnovers.
The win lifts Wayland, which must win the tournament to return to the NAIA National Championships in Kansas City, into the semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday against 14
th-ranked Mid-America Christian (Okla.), which defeated host Southwestern Assemblies of God University on Thursday, 86-81. The Evangels (23-8) and Pioneers split their regular-season games, with each team winning on its home court. MACU won in Oklahoma City, 95-85, before the Pioneers rolled to a 118-96 win in Plainview on Feb. 13.
In the other semifinal, eight-ranked, top-seeded Texas Wesleyan (24-6), a 70-56 winner over eighth-seeded John Brown (Ark.), will face fifth-seeded Science and Arts of Oklahoma (16-11), an 85-67 winner over No. 4 seed Southwestern Christian.
