RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech men's basketball team dropped their first game at home this season with a 63-54 loss to Northwestern Oklahoma on Thursday night.
Throughout the game, the Wonder Boys found themselves playing from behind as Northwestern Oklahoma got out to a quick start making their first two shots. After knotting the game up at 11-all about midway through the first half, the Wonder Boys were down double-digits as the Rangers methodically went on an 11-0 run over the course of nearly five minutes of action.
The Wonder Boys were able to trim that deficit down some and got as close as three points, 25-22, at the 2:24 mark. Northwestern looked like it was about to head into the locker room with a nine-point lead, but a three-pointer at the buzzer by
Taelon Peter made it a six-point deficit at the break, 31-25.
That three was the fourth of the half for Peter. His first make from long range was a memorable one as it placed Peter in the 1,000-point club, making him the 35
th Wonder Boy to reach the coveted career milestone in the Green and Gold.
Coming out of the break, Northwestern was able to stay in the lead throughout most of the second half and on a couple of occasions, held a nine-point lead. Each time, however, the Wonder Boys responded and battled back to pull within a single possession.
The second of those comeback efforts actually saw the Wonder Boys erase the deficit and grab their first lead of the game at the 6:08 mark of the second half as they ripped off a 10-0 run.
Kade Shaffer sparked the run with a three-pointer and
Cassius Brooks capped it with a layup in transition after he stole the ball at mid-court.
The Rangers had the quick answer once Tech got the lead, however, and went back up on their next trip down the floor. NWOSU was able to hold a small lead over Tech until the 2:26 mark when
Tommy Kamarad tied the game at 54-all on a three-pointer.
With just over a minute left to play, the Rangers got a clutch three-pointer to put themselves in the lead once more, 57-54. After a quick bucket out of a timeout, NWOSU would go on to create some separation from Tech at the free throw line as they made all of their last four attempts, bringing the game to its final of 63-54.
In terms of stats, Peter led the team in scoring with 19 points. Shaffer was next with 11 and Brooks rounded out double-figure scoring with 10. A pair of Wonder Boys would notch double-digit rebounds with
Josh Mitchell leading the way with 12. Kamarad was next with 10, eight of which came on the offensive glass. Kamarad also added three assists while Mitchell had five blocks.
The Wonder Boys will now prepare for their next game, which is a home game on Saturday afternoon against Southwestern Oklahoma. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside Tucker Coliseum.
