The Tabor College basketball teams enjoyed two road wins at Oklahoma Wesleyan Thursday.
Women—Tabor was tested on the road in Bartlesville Thursday but came away with a 57-53 victory.
The Eagles scored the game’s first basket, then Tabor went on a 9-0 run. Jurnee Reid made two- and three-point baskets in a 30-second span to lead the charge. Tabor maintained the lead the rest of the quarter, which ended with a 20-15 score.
Each team added 16 points in the second quarter. After Oklahoma Wesleyan drew within 25-24, Tristen Leiszler scored then stole the ball. Sydney Webb scored off the turnover to extend Tabor’s lead back to five. The first half ended with Tabor in front by that margin, 36-31.
Both teams cooled offensively in the second half. Having made nearly 44 percent of its first-half attempts (14-for-32), Tabor cooled to under 30 percent in the second half (8-for-27). The Eagles’ shooting suffered too, going from 42 percent (11-for-26) to 33 percent (8-for-24).
Oklahoma Wesleyan started the second half by outscoring Tabor, 11-5, to take the lead, 42-41. Tabor reclaimed the advantage by the end of the third quarter though, 46-45.
In the final period, Morgan Ediger drained a three-pointer with 6:21 to play, putting Tabor in front, 50-47. But then Tabor endured a scoreless stretch lasting 3:42. The Eagles did not score much either, but scored four points to take a one-point lead before Reid broke the drought with a go-ahead basket with 2:39 to play. Reid scored again less than a minute later to put Tabor up by three, and the teams traded baskets.
Tabor led, 56-53, when Tena Loewen scored with 50 seconds to play. The Eagles missed two three-point attempts after that, and Tabor missed one, too. Leiszler made a free-throw with 2 seconds left to bring it to the final, four-point spread.
Reid was the only Bluejay to score in double figures, tying the game-high with 19 points.
Men—Tabor led from start to finish in a convincing, 95-75 win on the road Thursday.
The Bluejays took command of the game from the start, firing on all cylinders with a 7-0 start and scoring 15 points in the first five minutes of play. The Bluejays made six of their first eight field goal attempts (75 percent) and shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to stun the home team and claim a 22-7 lead. At that point, the Eagles were shooting just 21 percent from the field (3-for-14).
Oklahoma Wesleyan endured a 3:06 stretch without scoring, allowing Tabor to extend its lead further, 25-7, when Davaghndre Jones made a basket at 11:42.
With multiple scoring threats on the floor, Tabor continued to have its way, scoring at will to build a 53-33 lead by halftime. Tabor finished the half with 47 percent shooting (16-for-34), compared with 32 percent for the Eagles (12-for-37). The Bluejays converted 18 of 21 free-throw attempts (86 percent).
Each team added 42 points in the second half. Tabor made 57 percent of its second-half field goal attempts (16-for-28), while Oklahoma Wesleyan made 49 percent (19-for-39). The Eagles limited Tabor’s trips to the charity stripe after halftime; the Bluejays were 8-for-9 (89 percent).
Tabor enjoyed its largest lead less than a minute into the second half when Julian Winton made two free-throws, 55-33, but over the next 5:36, the Eagles outscored Tabor, 18-7 to force a Tabor timeout, leading 62-51.
The Bluejays responded by stretching their lead to 18 and were never really threatened, ending the game in front by 20.
Winton led all scorers with 27 points. He made all 10 free-throws he attempted. Lance Carter scored 26 points and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Jones scored 18 points.
Coming—Tabor is scheduled to play at Bethel Saturday, with game times set for the women at 5 p.m. and the men at 7 p.m.
For scores and updates during games, follow Janae on Twitter @janaerem13