Rowan Ledbetter sealed the game at the free-throw line as the Ouachita Baptist University men’s basketball team won its fifth straight with a 64-63 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State Saturday night at Southeastern Arena.
Ledbetter, who finished with 10 points, was fouled with 10 seconds left and drained both free throws. The Savage Storm tried to tie the game as time expired as William Slones scored on a layup, but Southeastern Oklahoma State didn’t need two points, they needed three as Ouachita walked away with a 64-63 win.
Jaranimo Marks continued to score in double digits as the senior was 6-of-15 shooting for a team-high 15 points. He surpassed Todd Denton to move into 12th place on the All-Time OBU scoring list. Ed Keyes was 5-of-10 shooting and finished with 12 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for the double-double. Besides Ledbetter’s 10 points, Brandon Rose also added 10 points.
The Tigers (5-1) were 21-of-48 from the floor for 43.8 percent and 17-of-25 from the free-throw line.
Ouachita began the game on an 11-6 run, capped by a free throw by Keyes with 13:22 remaining in the first half. The Savage Storm were able to cut the deficit to one, but the Tigers extended the margin to 32-20 – the largest lead of the first half – after a layup by Keyes with 2:29 left in the half.
A bucket by Slones cut the Ouachita lead to 34-26 as the team’s headed into the locker room.
A 3-pointer by Ledbetter with 14:35 remaining gave the Tigers a 47-36 advantage, but the Savage Storm answered by cutting the deficit to 49-45 after a free throw by Mychal Horn. The Ouachita advantage was trimmed to 53-51 after a Slones free throw, but the lead never changed hands during the final six minutes to give Ouachita the victory.
Slones led all scorers with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting. He also hauled down 15 rebounds. Horn and Kelvin Wilson each finished with 10 points. Southeastern Oklahoma State (0-5) was 22-of-58 for 37.9 percent. The Tiger defense didn’t allow a single 3-pointer as the Savage Storm was 0-of-10 from behind the arc.
The Tigers return 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 2 to Bill Vining Arena to take on No. 21 Drury. The game can be heard on the Ouachita Baptist athletic Web site at www.obutigers.com.
