Quezada Drops 43 in Road Win at OPSU

GOODWELL, Okla. – Thursday night, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (17-6, 12-5 SAC) earned an exhilarating 105-102 overtime victory on the road at Oklahoma Panhandle State University (4-17, 2-15 SAC). With the win, the Drovers improve to 11-1 against the Aggies all-time, dating back to January of 2018. Additionally, USAO moves into a tie for second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings, 3.5 games back of Langston University at the top.

The overtime thriller was highlighted by Reggie Quezada's historic performance, scoring 43 points, which is tied for the second most in a single game in program history. 

The Drovers got off to a decent start and held a 26-19 lead midway through the first half. However, the Aggies closed the half strong and cut USAO's lead to 48-46 after 20 minutes of action. 

Following halftime, OPSU held a slight edge and owned a 70-67 lead midway through the second half. The teams traded baskets down the stretch and the score was knotted at 90-90 at the end of regulation. 

In the overtime period, USAO outscored OPSU 15-12 to claim the hard-fought victory on the road. 

Both offenses were hot all night long, but the Drovers held a slight edge. USAO's offense finished the game shooting 41-76 (.539) from the field, 10-25 (.400) from beyond the arc, and 13-17 (.765) from the free-throw line. In comparison, OPSU shot 39-75 (.556) from the field, 11-22 (.500) from deep, and 13-18 (.722) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers outrebounded the Aggies by a wide margin of 47-29, and 19 of USAO's rebounds came on the offensive end of the court. USAO outscored OPSU in the paint 48-44.

USAO committed 17 turnovers, which led to 24 points for OPSU. Meanwhile, the Aggies fumbled the ball 16 times, resulting in 19 points for the Drovers. Both teams were whistled for 16 fouls. 

The Drovers are consistently one of the top offenses in the country, and this year is no different, with USAO ranking second in the Sooner Athletic Conference with 85.6 points per game. USAO has exceeded 90 points on 10 separate occasions this season, and they have scored 100-plus on four different occasions, including both games against OPSU.

Four different Drovers scored in double figures on the way to victory, led by Quezada's remarkable performance. Quezada shot 16-29 from the field, including 4-10 from deep. The Harlem native also hauled in six rebounds, and he stole the ball three times on defense. 

Rory Pantophlet contributed 11 points and eight rebounds, while Niieihii BlackBear added 11 points and four rebounds. Cade Allen finished with 10 points on 4-7 shooting from the field.

Logan Dolan and Cejay Mann each added nine points and a pair of rebounds. 

Jaden Harrell dished out a game-high of 10 assists, in addition to six points and three steals. Jaden Causwell closed with four points, followed by Manny Gatkek with two. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will head to Plainview, Texas for a doubleheader at Wayland Baptist University on Saturday, February 10. The women are scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 PM CT, followed by the men's game at 3:45 PM.

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