ST. LOUIS (Dec. 18, 2017) – Oklahoma Christian had been in close games earlier this basketball season and failed to finish. The Eagles showed Monday afternoon against Missouri-St. Louis that they'd learned from those mistakes.
Junior forward Roderick Smith was an unstoppable force with 33 points (on 16-of-19 shooting) and 12 rebounds and leading scorer Elijah Strickland – quiet for most of the game – knocked down four huge free throws in the final 11.6 seconds as OC held off the Tritons 73-66 in the opening game of the Maryville Classic at Moloney Arena.
Junior guard Jordan Box added 15 points while junior center Will Lienhard had eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots for OC (3-7), which never trailed against a Missouri-St. Louis squad that had beaten then-No. 20 William Jewell (Mo.) just 11 days ago.
"Our focus these last few days has been staying together," OC coach Cory Cole said. "Guys were locked in the entire game and made multiple effort plays for one another today. We took care of the ball, rebounded strong and shared the ball with 15 assists. We are still jelling and will continue to improve.
"I cannot say how proud I am of these young men."
OC jumped to an 8-0 lead in the first 3:02 of the game and Missouri-St. Louis (6-4) never quite recovered. The Eagles led by 10 points twice in the first half before taking a 34-28 lead into the locker room.
The Tritons tied the game three times early in the second half, the final time at 38-38 on a dunk by Will Presson. But Smith answered with a lay-in and after Lienhard blocked a shot by the Tritons, Box converted a layup at the other end to put OC up 42-38 with 15:21 left.
UMSL stayed close all the way. OC did push its lead to 59-51 on a lay-in by Smith with 8:29 left, but an 8-2 spurt by the Tritons pulled them within 61-59 on a basket by Eric Dust with 5:54 left. Smith then hit a 6-foot jumper in the lane and scored off an offensive rebound to restore the Eagles' lead to six points.
After five straight missed free throws by OC, the Tritons trailed 69-66 and had a chance to tie the game in the final moments, but Davious Webster missed a 3-point attempt from the corner with 15 seconds left and Lienhard rebounded for the Eagles. Strickland, who scored only seven points, hit two free throws, and after another UMSL miss, he hit two more free throws with 2.1 seconds left.
Smith set a career scoring high while recording his third double-double in OC's last four games, and his 33 points matched the second-highest single-game total this season by a Heartland Conference player. Lienhard recorded at least three blocked shots for the seventh time this season and Box added three big steals in addition to his scoring.
"Rod was ready," Cole said. "He didn't play up to his own standards in our last game and he wanted to come out with extra energy and establish himself.
"Will made a huge impact defensively. He took two charges that were huge, rebounded well and neutralized the inside for us. Jordan was tough and locked in on both ends and made some plays defensively. He's a difference-maker for us and I was proud to see him make those plays."
The Eagles shot a healthy 53.3 percent from the field compared to 40.4 percent for the Tritons and OC outrebounded UMSL 36-31.
Steven Davis led UMSL with 17 points, while Webster and Johnathan Davis scored 10 points each.
In winning its first-ever game against Missouri-St. Louis, OC now is 56-17 all-time vs. teams from Missouri. The Eagles will face host Maryville (Mo.) on Tuesday afternoon.
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