Clarksville, Ark.-Head Coach Doug Boxell picked up his first win as a collegiate coach and Blake Mitchem put on a dominating performance in the Eagles 95-76 win over Hendrix College Sunday in Conway.
Boxell, who is in his first year at Ozarks (1-0), benefited from Ozarks shooting 65 percent from the field in the game. Mitchem also had his way in the paint in what turned out to be a career-day for the sophomore from Fort Smith. He posted 34 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots. Mitchem was 15-of-23 from the floor in the game, and carried the Eagles to a 50-45 halftime lead behind 24 points. Ozarks shot a solid 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the first half, and an impressive 19-of-30 (63%) from the field. Neither team was able to establish control of the game in the first half, but Ozarks did build a six-point lead on a pair of occasions with less than six minutes remaining. Ozarks’ largest lead of the first half came when Colby Woolverton hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds left to put the Eagles ahead 50-43.
Ozarks then outscored Hendrix (0-1) 45-31 in the second half. The Eagles took momentum of the game with about ten minutes left. With the Eagles leading 66-58, Woolverton hit a jumper and then a three-pointer on their next possession to put Ozarks in front 71-58. From there, Ozarks maintained a double digit lead the rest of the way, including a 16-point advantage on a Mitchem layup with 6:44 left.
Woolverton ended with 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. He hit 4-of-8 from the three-point line. Andre Williams contributed 18 points and nine rebounds.
Ozarks will face UA-Fort Smith Tuesday night in Fort Smith at 7:00 p.m. Live audio will be available on the Lions’ web site.
Topics: Athletics