Clarksville, Ark.-The Eagles went 8-for-9 from the free throw line with less than two minutes left in the game to help seal a 72-63 win over Hardin-Simmons on Thursday night in Abilene, Texas.
Ozarks (5-4, 2-3) clung to a 36-26 advantage at the half thanks to a solid shooting performance from the field. The Eagles hit 15-of-29 (51%) from the floor, including making five three-point field goals. The Eagles held just a 29-26 lead with 2:06 left in the first half, but a Tyler Mitchell three-pointer and back-to-back buckets by Clint McHenry and Habeeb Kareem gave Ozarks a ten-point advantage.
The Eagles held a double-digit lead for most of the second half, including a 60-41 advantage with 7:16 left. Over the next five minutes, however, the Cowboys (4-6, 3-3) slowly climbed back into the game. Hardin-Simmons cut it to 63-58 with 1:41 remaining, but Andre Williams hit a pair of free throws on Ozarks next possession to make it 65-58. Hardin-Simmons answered with a three-pointer with 1:05 left to put the score at 65-61. The Eagles then hit 6-of-7 from the free throw line to hold off the Cowboys.
Ozarks ended the American Southwest Conference game hitting 7-of-15 (46%) from the three-point line and 15-of-19 (78%) from the free throw line.
Kareem led the team with 17 points. Jeremy Clark missed just one shot all night and scored 13 points. Mitchell and Williams each had 10 points. McHenry and Tony Brock each collected 6 rebounds. Brock had 6 assists.
Ozarks continues ASC play when they face McMurry University on January 5 at 3:00 p.m.
Topics: Athletics