EVERYBODY EATS: TEAM Effort Leads to 37-point Victory Against OPSU

CHICKASHA, Okla. – Saturday afternoon, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (10-3, 5-2 SAC) got back on track with a commanding 111-74 win against Oklahoma Panhandle State University (4-7, 2-5 SAC). With the win, the Drovers have won each of the last seven games against OPSU and improve to 10-1 against the Aggies all-time, dating back to January of 2018.

The Drovers used a well-balanced attack to cruise to a 37-point victory, with 14 players scoring a point or more. Additionally, a dozen Drovers recorded at least one assist and 10 players stole the ball on defense. USAO never trailed and led by as many as 40 as they pushed to their 10^th win of the season. Just as important as anything else, no Drovers exceeded 19 minutes of action in the blowout, allowing USAO to spread out minutes and get some rest before a tough couple of road games next week. USAO's bench was incredible, accounting for 72 points and 16 assists.

The Drovers opened the game on a 5-0 run and held a 25-15 lead midway through the first half. The USAO offense continued to shoot the lights out for the remainder of the half and took a 51-30 lead into the break.

Following halftime, the Drovers continued to score at will and held a 79-54 lead with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. USAO emptied the bench down the stretch and continued to dominate, outscoring OPSU 17-9 in the final five minutes of the game. 

The Drovers were tremendous on both ends of the court, but they were especially impressive on offense. USAO finished the game shooting 39-75 (.520) from the field, 10-27 (.370) from beyond the arc, and 23-32 (.719) from the free-throw line. In comparison, OPSU shot 25-60 (.426) from the field, 9-28 (.321) from deep, and 13-22 (.591) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers outrebounded the Aggies by a slim margin of 42-41, and the Drovers outscored the Aggies in the paint 50-28.

USAO forced OPSU into committing a whopping 24 turnovers, which led to 33 points for the Drovers, all while fumbling the ball nine times themselves. The Drovers were whistled for 20 fouls, and the Aggies were called for 19 infractions.

The Drover offense was led by five double-digit scorers, highlighted by Reggie Quezada's 22 points off the bench. Quezada was incredibly efficient, shooting 9-13 from the field, including 2-4 from deep, in addition to four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. 

Rory Pantophlet delivered a terrific performance, closing with 14 points on 5-7 shooting, along with five rebounds. Cade Allen finished with 13 points and three assists, followed by Manny Gatkek and Niieihii BlackBear with 10 points each. Gatkek also hauled in a game-high of six rebounds. 

Zach Hays went 3-4 from the field and scored eight points in 10 minutes off the bench, while Jaden Causwell added seven points in 13 minutes of action. Anthony Ray and Cejay Mann each closed with five points, followed by Lendy Holmes with three. Logan Dolan and Tre Edwards each scored a pair of points and Ryein Kennedy knocked down a free-throw for one point. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will hit the road and travel to Kansas to face Central Christian College on Thursday, January 11. The women's game is scheduled to tip-off at 6:00 PM, followed by the men's game at 7:45 PM in McPherson, Kan.

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