Clarksville, Ark.-The Eagles took the lead for good with 2:20 left in overtime on a Chris Williams layup helping them secure a 79-78 win over East Texas Baptist University (5-10, 5-5) in American Southwest Conference play on Saturday.
Ozarks (7-7, 4-6) trailed 76-75 in overtime before Williams scored on an assist from Clint McHenry. The Eagles forced a turnover on the Tigers next possession, and then scored on a McHenry jumper to go up 79-76 with 1:41 left. ETBU answered with a bucket by La’France Cooper and then held Ozarks scoreless on its next possession. A foul on ETBU gave the Eagles the ball back with 44 seconds remaining. Tony Brock was forced into a difficult shot and ETBU obtained possession for the final shot of the game. However, the attempt was no good from 12 feet out as time expired, giving the Eagles their second straight win over an East Division opponent.
The Tigers held a 34-33 halftime advantage, but built their lead to 46-35 at the 17:41 mark of the second half. Ozarks then out scored the Tigers 17-6 during a seven-minute stretch to tie it at 52-52. Williams and Tony Daniels did most of the damage, scoring 6 and 4 points, respectively, during that span. Williams ignited a large Ozarks crowd with a dunk at the 11:56 mark that got Ozarks within 48-44. Ozarks eventually took a 61-60 lead after Habeeb Kareem completed a three-point play with 5:48 left. However, the Tigers came back to take a 70-67 advantage when Cooper matched Kareem’s three-point play. Tony Brock answered with a clutch three-pointer with 1:08 left to tie the score and send Ozarks to their first overtime game of the season.
Kareem pumped in 20 points and 9 rebounds. Andre Williams added 11, and Chris Williams and Tony Daniels each had 10 points, respectively.
The Eagles will travel Clinton, Mississippi, to face Mississippi College on January 24 and Pineville, Louisiana, to face Louisiana College on January 26.
Topics: Athletics