The Oklahoma Christian Eagles (7-7, 3-5 LSC), coming off two wins last week in the Nest, hit the road for the first time in 2023 for a matchup against Texas A&M International (9-6, 2-5 LSC)
The Dustdevils took a 10-2 lead to start the game, but with points from Moun’Tae Edmundson, Drew Tennial, Jovan Savic, and D.J. Walter, the Eagles took a 17-14 as the teams headed into the under-eight media timeout.
Out of the under-eight timeout, TAMIU went on a run to take a 28-21 lead, before the teams traded baskets, and TAMIU took a 32-27 advantage into the break. The Eagles were led in the first half by Drew Tennial with 14 points on 4-5 shooting and Tennial went 5-5 from the charity stripe.
The second half was a battle highlighted by Savic, with fourteen of his season-high sixteen points in the second half to lead the Eagles.
Texas A&M International stretched its lead to 9 points at 46-37 with 13:02 remaining in the period, but just like against Dallas Baptist on Saturday, the Eagles continued to battle. Tennial and Savic each scored four points on an 8-2 run to cut the lead to three, and Antonio Gordon and Edmundson had a 5-0 burst to tie the game at 50.
Karlyn Kenner connected on a pair of free throws to give the Eagles their first lead of the half at 52-50 before Savic stretched it to 54-50 with his 15th and 16th points of the game. And with three minutes left, Kenner hit a deep 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, followed by a three from Edmundson to bury the Dustdevils.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH TALLEY
“Man, I’m Proud of the toughness that we showed tonight. We came down here expecting a dog fight and that’s exactly what it was. We struggled some in the first half and we weren’t ourselves, but we battle some adversity and had some guys step up. Jovan had a big-time night; he’s kept his head down and has been working hard and it showed tonight. Gabe’s minutes were huge and were his first significant minutes and I am proud of him. These guys don’t get enough recognition for their hard work behind the scenes, and I hope that this showing will encourage all our guys to be ready for opportunities. It was a great road win for us proud of the guys and this staff.”
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES
The 61-55 win is the third straight win for the Eagles as they move up to second place in the eastern division of the Lone Star Conference, and they take on the top team in the division, Texas A&M Kingsville, on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Notable performances
– Drew Tennial: 19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists
– Jovan Savic: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 21 +/-
– Moun’Tae Edmundson: 8 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, played the entire game
Original source can be found here
