Drovers Take Down the Steers in Season Opener

CHICKASHA, Okla. – Tuesday night, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (1-0, 0-0 SAC) opened the regular season with a thrilling 82-78 triumph against Texas College (0-1, 0-0 RRAC). 

The held the lead for majority of the contest, but the Steers made things interesting in the final minutes of regulation. The win makes a statement for first-year head coach Landon Hughey, taking down a team that qualified for the NAIA national tournament a season ago. 

READ MORE ABOUT COACH HUGHEY –> CLICK HERE!

The Drovers jumped out to an early lead and held an 11-4 advantage five minutes into the game. However, the Steers began to chip away and would claim a 25-22 lead with 8:59 to play in the opening half. USAO would then go on a 19-4 run to lead by a dozen with a minute until halftime. The Drovers took a comfortable 41-31 lead into the break.

Following halftime, the teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of the half, with USAO holding a 60-51 lead. Texas College would then catch fire and go on an 11-3 run to cut USAO's lead to 63-62 with 7:58 remaining in regulation. The Steers kept close down the stretch but were never able to overcome their deficit, and the Drovers held snug onto the four-point victory in the season opener. 

USAO's offense closed the game shooting 26-54 (.481) from the field, 3-14 (.214) from beyond the arc, and 27-41 (.659) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Texas College shot 26-58 (.448) from the field, 5-24 (.208) from deep, and 21-28 (.750) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers outscored the Steers in the paint 36-32, and both teams hauled in a total of 36 rebounds. USAO committed 13 turnovers, which led to 19 points for Texas College. Meanwhile, the Steers fumbled the ball 17 times, resulting in 22 points for USAO. The Drovers were whistled for 21 fouls, while the Steers were called for 27 violations. USAO played very unselfish basketball, dishing out 21 assists, compared to TC's 10.

 Three Drovers scored in double-figures in the win, led by Mohand Ammad's double-double. Ammad concluded with 22 points on 7-11 shooting from the field, in addition to 10 rebounds and a pair of assists. Manny Gatkek also shot 7-11 from the field as he concluded with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks. Cade Allen provided 10 points and a team-high of five assists.

Lendy Holmes delivered a terrific performance off the bench, tallying nine points on 3-5 shooting in nine minutes of action. Ryein Kennedy added seven points, followed by Tyler Cauley with six points and four rebounds.

Jaden Harrell did a little bit of everything for the Drovers, contributing five points, four rebounds, four assists, and a game-high of five steals.

Tre Edwards added five points on 2-3 shooting from the field and Chok Garang scored two points. Roman Lutton hauled in four rebounds and stole the ball twice in eight minutes off the bench.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will return to action on Saturday, November 2 for their Homecoming game against University of the Southwest. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 PM CT inside Drover Fieldhouse.

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