WEATHERFORD, Okla. – A regulation 40 minutes was not enough to decide Thursday night's Great American Conference game between the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team and Southwestern Oklahoma, and ultimately, it was SWOSU that emerged on top on their home court, 79-71, in overtime.
The game was the epitome of back-and-forth affair as the score was tied 17 different times while the lead changed hands on 17 separate occasions as well. One could also describe the game as a black-and-blue affair as well as there were a combined 54 fouls called.
Regarding the closeness of the game, that was on full display throughout the first half. In that opening 20 minutes, the score was tied 10 times while the lead changed hands nine times and the largest margin of a lead for either team was seven points. By the end of all that, the score was knotted at 39-all heading into the locker room.
The Wonder Boys (11-7, 9-3 GAC) would score first in the second half to claim the initial lead of that half. A lead that they held until the Bulldogs (9-9, 5-7 GAC) grabbed their first lead of the second half, 51-49, at the 14:55 mark. During that stretch of Tech on top, their largest lead was six points.
SWOSU then had their time holding onto a slim lead, which, like Tech's, did not exceed six points. They would do so until the 3:02 mark when D'Rell Roberts gave Tech a one-point lead, 64-63, on a layup in the paint.
The lead then changed hands four times over the next two minutes of action as the Wonder Boys and Bulldogs traded single-point leads. The last of those lead changes came with 51 seconds left as Roberts made a pair of free throws to put Tech ahead 68-67.
Not long after that, however, Tech was whistled for a foul that sent SWOSU to the line with 22 seconds left and a chance to take the lead. The Bulldogs, who entered the game as the worst free throw shooting team in the conference, split the free throws to tie the score at 68-all.
With the shot clock off, the Wonder Boys were able to draw up a play at the buzzer to potentially win the game in regulation. Gauging how the foul count was mounting on both sides, the Wonder Boys attacked the basket in hopes of a contested layup that would at the very least draw a shooting foul, but no whistle came and the game went to overtime.
In OT, the Wonder Boys scored the initial bucket on a layup by
Niko Gosnell, but it was quickly answered on the other end, once more tying the score. About a minute later, SWOSU took their first lead of overtime on a pair of free throws.
With 2:26 left in overtime, Tech pulled within a point of SWOSU on a split trip to the free throw line. Not long after that, however, the Bulldogs connected on a pair of three-point shots to effectively put the game away late.
Statistically, the Wonder Boys had 10 of the 12 players who saw action score with three putting up double figures.
Tommy Kamarad led the way with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. All but two of his field goals came from beyond the arc as Kamarad was a sizzling 5-of-7 from deep. He also added 10 rebounds to register his first double-double as a Wonder Boy.
Andre Leavell was next with 15 points, followed by
Wes Harris with 10. A special scoring note came in the form of
Trey Allen III who scored three points to register his first collegiate points.
The Wonder Boys will look to bounce back in another tough road environment as they head north to Alva for a Saturday afternoon clash with Northwestern Oklahoma. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
