Tag: basketball

Men’s Basketball: Drovers Overcome Stars In Big Road Test

by Brayden Carpenter, posted in Uncategorized

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The USAO Drovers (14-14, 8-10 SAC) topped the Oklahoma City Stars (14-14, 6-12 SAC) 76-70.

USAO leaned on a strong second half to cap off the season series sweep of the Stars. The Drovers headed to half facing a two-point deficit 32-30. USAO battled back in the second half by shooting 46% from the floor. The Drovers rebounding would be a big factor in this contest as they would outrebounded Oklahoma City 48-43.

Four Drovers found themselves in double-digits scoring, Stephon Hall, Dylan Causwell, Colen Gaynor and Gerard Makuntae. Hall finished the night with 19 points and 4 three-pointers for USAO. Causwell was dominant for the Drovers as he registered his 10th double-double on the season, putting up 14 points with 10 rebounds. Gaynor picked up where he left off against Southwestern Christian as he would put together 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Drovers. Makuntae would finish with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Makuntae has now hit double-digits in three straight games for USAO.

Sophomore Gerard Makuntae said “yesterday’s game was big b/c we have trouble playing team ball consistently. so to win this game after the huge team win Thursday shows that we’re at our best when we don’t care who’s scoring as long as we’re playing as a team we put ourselves in a position to win. “

The Stars were led by Rashaun Coleman and Eddie Smith. Coleman put together a solid performance as he would put up 21 points and grab 7 rebounds for Oklahoma City. Smith would score 13 points with 2 rebounds.

Up Next:

USAO will host Langston University on Thursday, February 27th. Tip-off is set for 7:45 PM CT in Chickasha, Oklahoma. Thursday night will also be Senior night for the Drovers as they will honor Senior Dylan Causwell.

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Men’s Basketball: Drovers Topple No. 10 Golden Eagles In Overtime

by Brayden Carpenter, posted in Uncategorized

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The USAO Drovers (11-11, 5-7 SAC) picked up a resume building 90-84 win over the 10th ranked John Brown University Golden Eagles (19-3, 10-2).
USAO was led by Gerard Makuntae, Moses Byekwaso and Cameron Hines. Makuntae dominated in the game finishing with 17 points and very impressive 18 rebounds to capture his second double-double on the season. Makuntae would be very huge on the defensive side of the ball as he would finish with 3 blocks and 1 steal. Byekwaso would finish with 28 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists for the Drovers and was clutch shooting the ball, finishing 5-9 from behind the arc and 9-10 from the free-throw line. Hines would finish the night with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.

Sophomore Guard Tre’veon Ellis said “Today’s game was one for the books. John Brown is a great team and well coached. We had a bit of a slow start, but we got going at the right time. Major praise to my teammates stepping up and making some big time plays. Our coaching staff came up with a great game plan and we executed well. Nonetheless today’s game was Great, and I had a lot of fun.”

The Golden Eagles would be led by Luke Harper, Densier Carnes and Kiree Hutchings. Harper finished the night with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. He would be in total command from three, shooting 6-10 from behind the arc. Carnes would put together a 17 point, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block night. Hutchings had 16 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and had 2 assists on 4-8 shooting from three point range for the Golden Eagles.

Up Next:

USAO will host Wayland Baptist University on Thursday, February 6th. Tip-off is set for 7:45 PM CT in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

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Basketball: Drovers Host Red-Hot Golden Eagles

by Brayden Carpenter, posted in Uncategorized

The 10th ranked John Brown Golden Eagles head to Chickasha, Oklahoma to take on the USAO Drovers in a big Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) matchup. The Golden Eagles come into this game with a 19-2 record and currently are 10-1 in conference play. USAO comes into play with a 10-11 record and are sitting at 4-7 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Coming into this contest the Golden Eagles have been one of the hottest teams in the conference riding a 7 game win streak which including knocking off #2 ranked Mid-America. The Drovers are coming off a 91-63 win over Bacone college on Thursday night. USAO has defended their home court well as they are 5-2 at home on the season.
Both these teams love to shoot the 3 ball as they both combine for 59 attempts per game. Both teams are the top 2 in made threes per game. The Drovers are cashing in 11 per game which leads the SAC and the Golden Eagles are sitting with 10 per contest.
Saturday’s matchup is slated for a 3:45 p.m. CT tip at Drover Fieldhouse in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

What To Know About The Drovers:

USAO come into this contest with a chance to get to .500 and back on track. This will be the second of four games during this homestand for the Drovers as they look to take advantage of the home floor. USAO is 5-2 at home on the season and has wins over Oklahoma City and Randall University.
The USAO offense has had no problem scoring this year as they are averaging 87 points per game which ranks them 4th in the SAC. The problem for the Drovers has been on the defensive side of the ball as they are allowing 84 points per game, which is currently last in the conference. The Drovers have made up big time on rebounding as they rank number 1 in the SAC in rebounds per game with 42 per contest.
The Drovers this season are led by Dylan Causwell, Cameron Hines, Moses Byekwaso and Trenton Sandifer. Causwell the lone Senior on this roster is averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds per contest. Causwell this season has managed to pick up 6 double-doubles along the way to rank him second in the SAC. Hines, 5-10 Junior is averaging 12 points and 3 assists for the Drovers on the season. Hines Ranks Number 32 in NAIA Division I in Total 3-Pt FG Made with 51 on the season. Byekwaso the 6-3 Junior is averaging 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists for the Drovers. The Drovers have gotten a nice spark from Byekwaso as he is shooting 35% from behind the arc and he also averages 2 made threes per contest. Sandifer the 6-7 Junior has been a big addition to this Drover squad as he is averaging 8 points and 6 boards per contest for USAO. Along with those stats, Sandifer Ranks Number 1 in the SAC in Blocks with 2 per contest. With his great size he has been a big factor on the offensive rebounding for the Drovers as he Ranks Number 31 in NAIA Division I in Offensive Rebounds per Game with 3.

Junior Forward Trenton Sandifer said “Saturday is a huge game for us and could be a good turning point for our season. We have yet to play our best basketball, so all I have to say is that you do not want to miss the show this Saturday”

The Drovers are coached by Chris Francis, who is in his 5th season with the Drovers. The USAO assistant coaches are Chisum Lane and James Davis.

What To Know About The Golden Eagles:

After a big win at home against 2nd rank Mid-America, John Brown now has its eyes set on the top spot in the SAC. With the win the Golden Eagles now pull within just a half game atop the Sooner Athletic standings.
This Golden Eagles team has been centered around its ability to shoot the 3-pointer and also its capability to play on the defensive side of the ball. The defense is holding opponents to just 66 points per game which ranks first in the conference. John Brown has also defend the 3-pointer very well this season as they are holding teams to just 30% from behind the arc. The offense, the Golden Eagles is averaging 80 points per game which ranks them 8th in the conference.
The Golden Eagles this season have been led by Luke Harper, Densier Carnes and Rokas Grabliauskas. Harper the 6-3 Sophomore is averaging 17 points and 4 rebounds for the Golden Eagles. He has also been very strong from behind the arc, as he is shooting 42% for John Brown. Carnes the 6-6 Junior is averaging 14 points and an impressive 9 rebounds per contest for John Brown. Carnes has been dominant on the glass this season, as he ranks Number 9 in NAIA Division I in Total Total Rebounds with 189. Grabliauskas the 6-4 Junior is currently averaging 12 points and 2 rebounds for John Brown. He is also shooting very impressive from behind the arc, as he is shooting 41% for the Golden Eagles.

John Brown is coach by Jason Beschta, who is in his sixth season as head men’s basketball coach. His assistant Tim Kisner is in his second season with the Golden Eagles.

Series Record:

Dating back to 2007, these two teams have battled 28 times and John Brown lead the series 18-10.

How To Watch:

Stretch Internet USAO

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Women’s Basketball: Drovers and Evangels Set To Battle in Chickasha

by Brayden Carpenter, posted in Uncategorized

Coming into this marquee matchup both teams remain unbeaten in the Sooner Athletic Conference as the Mid-America Christian Evangels (7-2, 2-0 SAC) head down to Chickasha, Oklahoma to take on the USAO Drovers (7-3, 2-0 SAC). The standing currently stand with the Evangels in 3rd and the Drovers locked in at the 4th spot.

The Evangels offense averages 82 points per game coming into this contest but the eye catching stat is the rebounding ability. Mid-America comes into this game ranked 2nd in offensive rebounding with 19 rebounds per game. The Evangels also rank 4th in the country in total rebounds per game as they are grabbing 48 per game. The defense for Mid-America allows just 65 points per game as they are holding opponents to 38% shooting from the floor on the season.

The Drovers offense has put up 78 points per game and are ranked 16th in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 44% from the floor. The Defense for the Drovers has been the major key to the success to this team as they rank 2nd in blocked shots with 6 per game. The USAO defense has been very solid all year long as they have forced opponents to 33% from the floor to put them 9th in the country. Ball security has been another piece to the puzzle for the Drovers as they have been only turning the ball over 12 times compared the 19 they have been forcing per contest.

Friday’s matchup is set for a 6:00 p.m. CT tip at Drover Fieldhouse in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

What To Know About USAO:

The Drovers are led by Reyna Ammons, Milagros Carrera and Khady Sene. Ammons, (5-6 Senior) is currently leading the team in scoring with 19 points per game. She also leads the team in steals. Ammons is ranked 8th in the nation in steals with 4 per game. Carrera, (5-9 Freshman) is putting up 14 and has added 4 rebounds per game for the Drovers. The Freshman is shooting an impressive 50% from the floor that ranks her 26th in the country. Sene, (6-3 Senior) has had an impressive start to her Senior campaign as she is averaging 8 points per game and has been dominating the board with 10 rebounds per game. Sene has been a huge part to the USAO defense, picking up 3 blocks per contest.

Senior Guard Reyna Ammons said “Coming out we need to have the right mindset and come out strong to begin with, lately we been having flat starts. we need to continue to be solid on the defensive end but also on the offensive. We need to execute our plays and secure all rebounds on both ends of the court through all 5 players. Also, if everyone does the little things; communicating, being selfless, and hustling, we will be one hard team to beat tomorrow.“

The Drovers are coached by Darrick Matthews, who is in his 5th year with USAO. Assistant coaches are Sirena Matthews and Olivia Chapman.

What To Know About Mid-America:

The Evangels are led by Alexis Shannon, Lexi Hernandez and Loralei Siliga. Shannon, (5-11 Senior) has been dominate so far in the season averaging 19 points and 7 rebounds for Mid-America. Shannon ranks 7th in the nation in points per game. Shannon has been In command down low and she has proven she can shoot it from behind the arc, shooting 14-30 on the year. Hernandez, (5-6 Junior) is currently averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game for Mid-America. She also averaging 3 steals per game which ranks her 27th in the nation. Siliga, (5-11 Senior) has averaged 11 points and 7 rebound per game. Siliga ranks 7th with an impressive 62% field goal percentage from the floor so far this season.

Senior Forward Alexis Shannon said “We are excited for tomorrows game. It’s going to be two really good basketball teams going head to head. With similar records, I think both us and USAO are going to bring all we have on the court tomorrow. It should be a fun game to play in and to watch.“

Mid-America is coached by Hannah Moeller, who is her 4th season with the Evangels. Assistant coaches are Kelsie Dutton and Logan Martin.

Series Record:

Dating back to 2006, these two teams have faced off 27 times and the Evangels own the series with a 15-12 record.

How To Watch:

Stretch Internet USAO

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Men’s Basketball: Drovers Host Unbeaten Evangels In Friday’s Showdown

by Brayden Carpenter, posted in Uncategorized

The Mid-America Christian Evangels presently comes into this contest being one of the seven teams without a loss early in the 2019-20 season. The Evangels (10-0, 2-0 SAC) head to Chickasha, Oklahoma to take on the USAO Drovers (6-5, 1-1 SAC) in a early season showcase matchup. Mid-American currently sits at 2nd in the Sooner Athletic Conference and ranked 3rd in the nation. USAO presently sits at 8th in the conference standing.

The Evangels offense has been one of the better offense in the country as they are scoring 95 points per game and are ranked 5 in field goal percentage 52.7% on the season. The defense has also been very impressive as they are only allowing 72 points per game and ranked 6th in defensive field goal percent at 38% early in the season.

The Drovers offense is currently averaging 91 points per game and find majority of their points from behind the 3-point line as they are 4th in made 3’s per game with 12.3 per contest. The USAO offense has cashed in on a total of 123 three-pointers on the season to put them ranked 7th in the nation. The Drovers are allowing 86 points per contest and are looking to seek improvement on the defensive end.

Friday’s matchup is slated for a 7:45 p.m. CT tip at Drover Fieldhouse in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

What To Know About USAO:

The Drovers have been led by Stephon Hall, Colen Gaynor and Cameron Hines. Hall, (6-0 Sophomore) is averaging a solid 17 points per game which leads the team. Hall has been sharing the ball well averaging 5 assists per contest and 4 rebounds for the Drovers. Gaynor, (6-5 Junior) is currently averaging 15 points per game and 7 rebound to help out the Drovers. Gaynor looks to continue good play as he is coming off a really good performance against Bacone where he scored 24 points and picked up 5 rebounds. Hines (5-10 junior) is putting up 14 points per game for the Drovers and is currently shooting 43 % from behind the arc for USAO.

The Drovers are coached by Chris Francis, who is in his 5th year with USAO. Assistant coaches are Chisum Lane and James Davis.

What To Know About Mid-America:

The Evangels have been led by Cedric Wright, Ashford Golden and Terrance Jones. Wright the 6-7 Redshirt Senior has brought Havoc scoring 18 points points per game to lead the team. Wright has been big down low in the post as he leads his team in rebound with 6.4 per game. Golden the 6-6 Senior is scoring 15 points per game and is looking to continue his great play after a 26 point performance in his last outing. Golden was also named the Sooner Athletic Conference player of the week last week for the Evangels. Jones the 6-5 Junior has been a huge piece off the bench for Mid-America as he is averaging 12 points and adds 5 rebounds per contest to add to a team full of weapons.

Mid-America is coached by Josh Gamblin, who is in his 5th season for the Evangels. Assistant coaches are Anthony Nero, Bob Battisti and Cade Upshaw.

Redshirt Senior Forward Cedric Wright said “Thoughts coming into Friday’s game is . We know despite USAO record that they are still a really great team and that if we come out unprepared that this can be there start up . So we are locked in and ready to try are best to match there intensity and get a good win before the break against a really good ball club.”

Series Record:

Dating back to 2008, these two teams have battled 26 times and Mid-America lead the series 15-11.

How To Watch:

Stretch Internet USAO

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Basketball: Drovers Crack Triple-Digit Scoring With Flashy Performance

by Brayden Carpenter, posted in Uncategorized, USAO

The USAO Drovers (1-1) bounced back in a nice way, as they beat the Southwest Mustangs (1-3) 102-93. The Drovers were led by the Sophomore Cameron Hines, as he racked up 31 points on 10-13 shooting with 9 assists and just 2 turnovers. Ron’Quis Lewis was the main force for the Mustang offense as he would tally 24 points on 7-12 shooting.

In the first half, the Drovers would outscore the Mustangs 54-41 as they would get 20 points from Hines. The Mustangs would get a great first half from Demond Parker as he would finish the half with 13 points. The Drovers would find their way to a first half lead, as they would shoot 62% from the floor, while the Mustangs would shoot 47%. In the first half, the Drovers would dominate the points in the paints as they would score 22 and only allow 8.

In the second half the momentum would flip with the Mustangs outscoring the Drovers 52-48. The Mustangs were led by Lewis as he would tack on 18 points and finish with a team high 24. Hines would again lead the scoring for the Drovers with 11 but would be closely followed by Geno Artison and Marquise Williams. Artison and Williams would both finish the half with 9 points each. In the second half the Drovers shot 51%, as the Mustangs would shoot 56%. The Drovers would piece together a strong night from behind the arc as they went 8-20 (40%).

The Drovers would get a well-played game from Artison, as he finished with 16 points and 8 boards. Williams would pick up 16 points of his own and would battle to grab 5 rebounds on the night. The Mustangs had a well-played game from Josh Harris as he added 18 points on 7-10 shooting. Emmanuel McNeil tallied 15 points and racked up 9 rebounds. The Drovers outrebounded the Mustangs, 35-32. The Drovers would get a big game on the glass from Junior Dedrian Parmer as he picked up 8 rebound and tacked on 7 points to finish off his night. The Drovers defense was able to win another important categories, as they would force 16 turnover and only have 9 of their own.

Sophomore Guard Cameron Hines said “We bounced back after a tough loss on Saturday. I thought our offensive execution was great, but we still have a long ways to go on the defensive end. We’re looking forward to our next game Friday against a tough opponent in Randall. “

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Basketball: Drovers Drop Season Opener To Ravens

by Brayden Carpenter, posted in Uncategorized

In the 2018-2019 season opener the Benedictine College Ravens topped the USAO Drovers by the score of 82-54. The Ravens coming off a 14-17 season where they finished 4th in the Heart of American Athletic Conference south division. The USAO Drovers are coming off a 21-11 season as they would finish as the 5th ranked team in the Sooner Athletic Conference.

Early in the first half the Ravens gained the lead and never looked back. The Ravens started the game in a 9-0 run before the Drovers Forward Marquise Williams scored the first two points of this season. The Drovers offense was held to just 27% from the field as they allowed 48% shooting percentage to the Ravens. Benedictine College offense was clicking as they would connect on 11 three-pointers and would shoot 37% from behind the 3 point line. The Drovers would hit 6 three-pointers and would shoot 22%. Points in the paint was a big factor in this contest as the Ravens would put together 36 in comparison to 16 from the Drovers.

The Drovers got a proficient first game from Greyden Steinmetz as he would tally 14 points off the bench on 5-8 shooting and would finish with 2 rebounds. Steinmetz is a SO. transfer from Redlands Junior College where he averaged 13.7 points a game. Geno Artison finished the game with 9 points on 3-12 shooting and 6 rebounds. Artison is a SR. transfer from the University of Tulsa. In his JR. year he averaged 11.1 minutes per game and played in 30 games for the Golden Hurricanes. Marquise Williams made his present known down low collecting 11 boards and 5 points. Williams is SR. transfer from Lincoln University where he averaged 9.1 points per game and 7.9 rebounds.

Benedictine College leading scorer was Thomas O’Connor as he finished with 19 points on 7-15 shooting and 3-7 from behind the arc. Adam Kutney finished the night with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Jaiden Bristol scored 12 point on 5-8 shooting with 10 rebound to complete the double-double.

The Drovers will battle the University of Southwest Mustangs on Monday November 5th, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. CT. Benedictine College next contest is against the Park University Pirates on Monday November 5th, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. CT.

Sophomore Guard Greyden Steinmetz Said “Tough game, we’ll have to watch film and grow from it.“

Senior Foward Marquise Williams Said “We didn’t perform no where near what we’re capable of I think a lot guys were just getting their first game jitters out the way even myself. It’s a quick turnaround on Monday we got a another game we have to regroup and come together and don’t let this first game define us. We have a good coaching staff & I enjoy playing for them they believe in my abilities & encourage me to stay confident & play my game something most players don’t get a chance to experience.“