The Braves lost their second straight game on Saturday, falling 82-76 to Bethel College in Wilson Field House. Ottawa shot 40.8 percent from the floor, 29.6 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. OU had five players in double figures, led by
Jayden Hibbitt's double-double. He scored 18 points and pulled down 18 rebounds.
Najee Jones scored 17 points,
Deondre Buggage and
Keith Robinson had 11 points apiece, and PJ Two scored 10 points. Jones led OU with four assists.
Ottawa is averaging 82.6 points, 39.9 rebounds, and 15.5 assists per set. They are shooting 46 percent from the floor, 33.6 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 76.9 percent from the free throw line.
Jayden Hibbitt leads OU in scoring (17),
Keith Robinson is Ottawa's leader in rebounding (8.2),
Najee Jones and
Deondre Buggage lead the team in assists per game (3.2),
Alex Riddick is OU's leader in blocks (0.8), and Jones leads the Braves in steals (1.7) per game.
The Braves have a record of 9-5 and a KCAC record of 6-4 in Wilson Field House this season. Ottawa is scoring 86.1 points per game, shooting 45.9 percent from the floor, and 32.4 percent from behind the 3-pt line. Opponents are scoring 75.5 points, shooting 42.6 percent from the floor, and 32.9 percent from behind the 3-pt line.
Ottawa is rank4ed 39th in the NAIA in points (2,147), 46th in points per game (82.6), 24th in field goals made per game (31.1), 12th in field goals attempted per game (67.6), 13th in free throw percentage (.769), 50th in offensive rebounds per game (11.7), 18th in defensive rebounds per game (28.2), and 20th in total rebounds per game (39.9).
In OU's wins, the Braves are scoring 85.9 points per game and shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from behind the 3-pt line. In their losses, OU is scoring 76.3 points per game and shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from behind the 3-pt line.
Wednesday is the 70th game between Ottawa University and the University of Saint Mary. Ottawa leads the series 36-33 and defeated the Spires 65-63 in the first game this season on Jan. 22 in Leavenworth. The Braves have lost two straight games in Wilson Field House to Saint Mary. OU's last win against home against the Spires came on Nov. 23, 2021, 85-57. The first ever game played between the two teams happened on Jan. 30, 1993 in Wilson Field House. OU won the game 109-45.
In OU's win over the University of Saint Mary on Jan. 22 in Leavenworth, Ottawa shot 36.1 percent form the floor, 41.7 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 94.1 percent from the free throw line. OU had three players in double figures led by
Najee Jones 23 points. He was 10-for-11 from the free throw line. Jones also had seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Jayden Hibbitt scored 19 points and
Keith Robinson finished the game with 11 points. Robinson led OU with four assists.
The Braves will honor its 10 seniors between the men's and women's basketball games on Wednesday night. Thank you seniors for all that you have done for our program.
AJ Hof,
Deondre Buggage,
Najee Jones,
Payton Kaiser,
Trey Twa,
Keith Robinson, Jaylon Hibbitt, Banta Sylla, Jaxon Howell, and Andrew Piper.
University of Saint Mary has an overall record of 17-9, is tied for third in the KCAC with a record of 14-6, is 7-5 on the road this season and is on a two game winning streak. Those two wins for the Spires were against Avila (77-56) on Feb. 11 and Tabor (97-60) on Feb. 15.
The Spires are ranked 39th in the NAIA in free throws made per game (15.4), 49th in free throws attempted per game (21.5), 21st in turnovers per game (10.5), 45th in opponent turnovers per game (14.6), 37th in steals per game (8.8).
Jordan Browns leads the Spires in scoring (15.7), Jason Parson II is USM's leader in rebounding (6.1), Bryce Johnson is Saint Mary's leader in assists (2.8) per game, Joey Schultz and Brown leads USM in blocks (0.5), and Brown leads the team in steals (1.3) per game.
On the road this season, Saint Mary is scoring 76.9 points per game, shooting 41.5 percent from the floor, and 32.4 percent from behind the 3-pt line. The Spires are averaging 83.4 points, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, and 37.4 percent from behind the 3-pt line in their 17 wins. Saint Mary is scoring 68.1 points per game, shooting 39.4 percent from the floor, and 24.7 percent from behind the 3-pt line, in their nine losses.
