Box Score
CHICKASHA, Okla. – An 11-point Wayland Baptist win may sound relaxing, but it wasn't.
The Pioneers survived a buzzer-beater at the end of regulation before dominating overtime for a 92-81 Sooner Athletic Conference victory over 16
th-ranked Science & Arts of Oklahoma here Saturday afternoon.
"We showed a lot of poise to bounce back and win," Wayland coach
Ty Harrelson said. "It's a win that puts us in a good position going into our final home games of securing a top-four spot (in the conference), which would be a home conference tournament game. It also shows we are a Top 25 team.
"This conference is tough night-in and night-out."
Wayland (19-8, 11-7 SAC) outscored the Drovers (20-8, 11-8) 17-6 – including 13-2 to end the game, thanks in large part to
Ruben Lopez's expert free-throw shooting – in what was the Pioneers' second straight overtime game. On Thursday in Oklahoma City, WBU fell to Mid-America Christian, 81-80.
"We played very well this week. Unfortunately, MACU made a tough 3 in the closing seconds or we would have had a chance of being SAC (co)-champions for the first time in school history," Harrelson said.
It appeared Saturday's game against USAO – a team Wayland hammered, 96-74, when they met Jan. 11 in Plainview – also would be decided by just a point or two.
After a slow start that saw Wayland fall behind 12-3, the Pioneers went on a 21-4 half-ending run to lead it 42-32 at intermission.
WBU went up by as many as 13 early in the second half, but the Drovers steadily closed the gap, finally taking a 71-70 lead with just under two minutes left. The teams traded baskets then Lopez hit a clutch 3-pointer, giving the Pioneers a 75-74 lead. USAO tied it with a free throw before both teams missed scoring chances, including a 15-foot baseline jumper by the Drovers at the buzzer.
The teams were still tied, 79-all, after the first 2½ minutes of overtime, then the Pioneers took control.
Lopez nailed a 3-pointer and later went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line, while at the other end the Drovers went cold, missing a handful of 3-pointers and foul shots.
Lopez, who played the entire game except for one defensive play, finished with a career-high 29 points, bettering his previous-best of 23 last season. The senior hit 4-of-7 3-pointers and went 9-of-11 at the free-throw line, a big reason why as a team Wayland shot 80 percent (20-of-25) at the stripe. USAO shot 41 free throws, hitting 31 (76 percent).
Lopez leads the NAIA in free-throw percentage at 92.6 percent (87-of-94).
"Depending on criteria, Ruben has put up an MVP season," Harrelson said. "He's averaging 50 percent field goals, 50 percent 3-pointers, and over 90 percent from the line. Those numbers are better than Steve Nash's when he was the NBA MVP twice. It might go to a player from a team who wins the league, but Ruben solidified an argument with his performance this year."
Tyrone Davis,
Josh Throns and
J.J. Culver also reached double-digits with 15, 14, and 11 points, respectively. Throns made 4-of-11 3s, and Davis also collected a team-best seven rebounds.
"Tyrone and Ruben came through again for us," Harrelson said. "They wanted to get the win on the road closing out the regular-season trips."
Brandon Scott's 21 points paced USAO. Julius Foster added 16, Jamal Tahraoui 11 and Greg Smith 10.
Both teams ended with 38 rebounds and both took 28 3-pointers; Wayland hit 12, USAO eight.
Wayland now stands in fourth place in the SAC standings, a half-game ahead of USAO. The top four teams host first-round games in the conference tournament before the semifinals and finals shift to Siloam Springs, Ark.
The Pioneers end the regular-season next week by hosting last-place Bacone (5-23, 1-17) at 8 p.m. Thursday then eighth-place John Brown (15-12, 9-9) at 3 p.m. Saturday. In the first half of league play on the road, Wayland defeated Bacone, 90-80, but fell to John Brown, 86-64.
"I'm so proud of this team's character and resilience all year," Harrelson said. "We just keep battling, and I'm excited to see how we finish this campaign off."
