EDMOND, Okla. — The St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team never trailed in the second half, but the game was anything but comfortable for Rattlers fans as Oklahoma Christian pushed them to the wire, 72-68.
For the second time in three games, senior
Wayne Wiggins (Mansfield, Texas) hit a pair of late free throws to secure the victory, sinking a pair with 4.7 seconds remaining to push the lead to six. The Eagles (9-8, 4-7) hit a layup at the final buzzer to make it a four-point contest. Wiggins ended the game with 14 points, scoring in double figures for the third time in four games and the fifth time in the last seven, and he tied his career-high with four steals.
Senior
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Rattlers (13-5, 6-4) with 20 points, hitting the milestone for the seventh time this season and the 17th time in his StMU career. He also led the game with four assists. Junior
JJ Walton (Tampa, Fla.) chipped in eight points, making four of his five shot attempts on the evening, scoring the eight points in 11 minutes.
The Rattlers edged out the Eagles in the rebounding battle, grabbing 32 to 28 with senior
Olaverr Camacho (Barberena, Santa Rosa, Guatemala) leading all players with nine. He also dished out a season-high three assists.
Free throws were key for the Gold and Blue, as they shot 86.7 percent from the line, making 13-of-15 attempts. Senior
Eddie McPhee (Denver, Colo.) was a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe, stretching his consecutive made streak to 29. He also blocked a career-high tying three shots.
OC's Elijah Bailey tied for game-high scoring honors with 20 points, while Carson Jones was right behind him with 18. Jason Clark and Ma'Syn Howell led the Eagles with seven rebounds each and Jones had a team-high three steals.
St. Mary's will hustle to Lawton to face Cameron on Friday at 5 p.m. The game was rescheduled with the winter storm headed in. The Aggies dropped a 74-62 decision to No. 25 St. Edward's on Thursday.
