Daniel Maddox had a huge tip-in with 19 seconds remaining and Jaranimo Marks sealed the game at the free-throw line with six seconds left as the Ouachita Baptist University men’s basketball team edged Texas A&M-Commerce, 67-63, Thursday night at Bill Vining Arena.
The Tigers (7-1) trailed 34-28 at the half, but used 7-0 run to start the second half, capped by an Ed Keyes layup with 18:44 left.
The Lions (3-3) trailed 45-40 with 15:18 remaining after a Marks 3-pointer. Texas A&M-Commerce rallied and grabbed a 46-45 advantage after a pair of free throws by Sammy Jackson with 13:22 left.
The contest went back-and-forth until Ouachita took a 58-52 with 9:06 left after an Antonio Benjamin jumper. Again the Lions roared back, tying the contest at 58 with six minutes remaining after a Jackson layup.
Perhaps one of the biggest plays of the night came with 2:34 remaining when Marks beat the shot clock with a one-handed 3-pointer to break a 60-all tie. However, Brad Hambrick answered with a three at the other end, tying the game at 63 with 2:15 left.
Neither team scored until Maddox’s putback with 19 seconds left.
The Lions had a chance to tie as Rashad Brown was fouled with seven seconds left, but he missed both shots and Texas A&M-Commerce were forced to foul, sending Marks to the line to seal the victory.
Marks scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the first half. He finished the night by going 8-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-10 from behind the 3-point line, along with going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Marks, who moved into 10th place on the all-time OBU scoring list by surpassing Jarris Kentle, also pulled down eight rebounds.
Keyes added 12 points and nine boards, while Benjamin came off the bench to score 10 points. Ouachita was 24-of-63 from the floor for 38.1 percent.
Hambrick did most of his damage from behind the 3-point line, finishing with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Both Jackson and Cardell Hunter had 12 points and Brown finished with a double-double, 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lions were 23-of-54 from the floor for 42.6 percent.
Ouachita, which plays four straight road contests before playing against at Bill Vining Arena on Jan. 8, returns to action 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Northeastern Oklahoma State.
