Thursday night, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (13-12, 10-9 SAC) struggled in the second half and suffered a tough 68-56 loss against No. 5 ranked Langston University (23-2, 17-2 SAC).
With three games remaining in the regular season, the Drovers sit in 6th place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams will advance to the SAC Tournament.
The Drovers gained control early in Thursday’s contest, jumping out to a 12-4 lead with 11:51 remaining in the first half. Science & Arts remained in the driver’s seat for the rest of the half and took a 31-22 lead into the break.
Following halftime, Langston caught fire, going on a 21-11 run to claim a 43-42 lead with 12:01 remaining in regulation. The Lions continued to fend off any run that the Drovers would go on, and outscored USAO by a margin of 46-25 in the second half.
As a team, the Drovers shot 19-57 (.333) from the field, and just 6-21 (.286) from three-point range. In comparison, the Lions shot 26-66 (.394) from the field, and 11-34 (.324) from deep. LU held a 45-39 advantage in the rebounding battle, and the Drovers committed 13 turnovers, while the Lions only fumbled the ball 10 times.
USAO was whistled for 12 fouls and LU was called on 20 infractions. The Lions went 5-8 (.625) from the free-throw line, while USAO went 12-15 (.800) from the charity stripe.
Three Drovers scored in double figures, led by Samkelo Cele’s 22 points and six rebounds. Gerard Makuntae recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Cejay Mann contributed 11 points off the bench.
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