Clarksville, Ark.-The Eagles (10-6, 3-1) completed their week of American Southwest Conference East Division action with a 1-1 record.
The Eagles picked up a 96-75 win over Austin College, but were upset 83-75 in their game against UT-Dallas. The Eagles started the game with a 21-2 run in the first half to set the tone for their high scoring affair with Austin. Ozarks shot 61 percent from the field in the game while having five players in double figures. Mandrell Howell and Michael Bollman each scored 20 point to lead the Eagles. Ricky Johnson added 18 points and Scott McCall and Reggie Brasfield scored 10 points. The UT-Dallas Comets pulled off the upset as they defeated the Eagles 83-75 in Clarksville. The Comets came into the game winless in conference play, while the Eagles were atop the East Division with a 3-0 record. UT-Dallas held a 47-35 halftime lead thanks in part to Richard Scott’s 16 first half points. The Comets were then able to hold off several Eagles’ second half rallies by connecting on timely shots. The Eagles would cut the lead to five points after a Scott McCall jumper at the 11:51 mark of the second half. But that would be as close as the Eagles would get. Ozarks shot just 44 percent from the field in the game and only 47 percent from the free throw line, including 14 percent in the second half. "We couldn’t capitalize on our one and one free throw opportunities and that’s where you can really make the difference up," said head coach Matt O’Connor. "After the game, we talked about doing the little things right including having our minds in the game from the very start. Offensively, I thought we got good looks but we didn’t convert those chances." It was a bittersweet day for senior guard Ricky Johnson. Johnson past the 1,000 career point plateau and scored a team-best 20 points to lead Ozarks. Johnson nailed 6 of 12 three-pointers on the day and has nailed 126 of 368 (34%) of his attempts. He now has scored 1,018 points in his career. Howell scored 14 points and Bollman added 11 points. Brad Johnson had 10 points. Bollman is currently second in the conference in scoring (20.5) and sixth in rebounding (7.4). Howell ranks fourth in scoring (18.9) and thirteenth in rebounding (6.2). The Lady Eagles and Eagles return to action January 30 when they host Louisiana College and Mississippi College on February 1.
Topics: Athletics