Oklahoma City, OK – SAGU Men's Basketball advanced to the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Championship after their 78-64 win over the No. 3 seed Oklahoma City University on Monday afternoon in the Gaulke Activity Center. The Lions will now face Wayland Baptist in the SAC Tournament Championship Game on Tuesday, March 1, at 5:30 PM on the campus of Mid-America Christian (Oklahoma City, OK) in the Gaulke Activity Center.
SAGU held the Stars to shooting just 33% (22-65) from the field and 16% (6-36) from three while forcing 14 turnovers in route to their semifinals win. As a team, the Lions were able to capitalize with 12 second chance points and 40 points in the paint.
Joel Polius came up big for SAGU down low as he finished the night with a double-double scoring 19 points and pulling in 11 rebounds. Polius went 8-13 from the field and 3-3 from the charity stripe. Overall, the Lions would shoot 41% (25-61) from the field, 15% (4-26) from three, and 83% (24-29) from the free throw line.
The game started with a three pointer from
Isaiah Boling and over the next eight minutes of the first half SAGU and OCU would stay within two points of each other. Both teams came to battle as there were four different lead changes in the first half alone, but at the 12-minute mark
Keenan Gooden would start a 16-0 run for the Lions that would take them to just five minutes left in the half. The Stars would begin to claw their way back into the game, but SAGU was able to maintain their comfort and take a 37-29 lead into halftime.
The second half would start with
Joel Polius scoring the first 9 points to build the Lions' lead by 17. The Stars would then go on an 8-0 run to pull within 10, but it was
Joel Polius again who would find the bottom of the net for the Lions to take a 48-37 lead with 15 minutes left of play. SAGU continued to maintain their lead throughout a majority of the second half, but OCU would never fall out of the game. Over the last three minutes of the game though, the Lions would go 11-12 from the free throw line to take the 78-64 win and advance to the SAC Tournament Championship.
Behind
Joel Polius' 19-point, 11-rebound double-double,
Nathan Bailey had 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Noah Boling added 11 points and 5 rebounds and went 9-9 from the free throw line.
Joshua Kashila facilitated the offense as he had another near double-double with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
SAGU will now face Wayland Baptist University on Tuesday, March 1, at 5:30 PM on the campus of Mid-America Christian (Oklahoma City, OK)) in the Gaulke Activity Center for the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.
As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community. We believe in affordable tuition, made possible in part through the financial support of donors who embrace the mission of SAGU and the importance of affordable, accredited programs to train Christians for leadership in ministry, business, education, and service. Most majors are available in-person in Waxahachie, TX, and online through a wide range of associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
