Ouachita Baptist shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half to complete a come-from-behind 79-72 win over Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team Monday night.
The Tigers (3-1), who defeated the Lions six days ago on a last-second shot, bounced back from shooting 24.2 percent and a 36-22 halftime deficit to shoot 66.7 percent and outscored A&M-C, 57-36 in the second half for the win. Antonio Benjamin led OBU with 26 points and he was joined in double figures by Daniel Maddox and Jaranimo Marks, who added 16 and 12 points, respectively.
The Lions (0-4) were led by senior Scooby Johnson, who scored a season-high 30 points and shared team-high honors with eight rebounds in the loss. Senior Lance Jackson came off the bench to score 12 points and junior Rashad Brown added 11 points and eight rebounds in the contest.
In the first half, with the game tied at 10, the Lions outscored the host Tigers 26-to-12 for the remainder of the first 20 minutes. Johnson led all scorers with 19 first half points on a 7-for-10 effort from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 effort from the free throw line. With the 14-point halftime advantage, it was the fourth time in the season that the Lions have led at the intermission.
In the second half, with A&M-Commerce holding a 12-point lead at 40-28, Ouachita Baptist went on an 18-2 run to take their first lead since 5-4 at the 15:14 mark of the first half. The Lions managed to regain the lead, 63-62 with 5:24 left, when Brown made the first of two free throws. The Tigers capitalized on the second miss when Delamar and Benjamin scored back-to-back baskets to put the Tigers back in front, 66-63 with 4:38 remaining. Ouachita Baptist would maintain the lead for the remainder of the contest and clinch the victory as A&M-C missed six of their final eight shots.
The Lions remain on the road for its next two games when they will begin Lone Star Conference play Thursday at West Texas A&M at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. at Eastern New Mexico. Both games will be carried live on KETR – 88.9 FM and www.ketr.org.