OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The No. 15-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball team took part in the Bridge Builder Classic inside the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Tuesday afternoon. The squad ended up walking away with a convincing 97-56 triumph over the Central Christian College Tigers on the neutral floor. Impressive offensive days from Deng Bol (22 PTS, 8 REB) and Cevin Clark (24 PTS, 9-11 FG) led the team to another high-scoring output on offense.

"Playing at the Paycom Center is not just another game, it is an experience," said head coach Matt O'Brien. "I really enjoyed watching our players and coaches enjoy the moment. I'm thankful for my good friend and alum Alton Guitry who hosted and sponsored the entire event." 

The early minutes of this battle were not as encouraging, as the Tigers came out hot. They were hitting on all cylinders in the first few minutes, racking up a 17-10 advantage over SC. That success would quickly dwindle, as the Moundbuilders responded with a 37-7 run over the final 14:20 of play in the first half. An unbelievable defensive display, in which the Builders forced CCC to shoot just 9-of-34 (26.5%) from the field, vaulted Southwestern to a comfortable lead. It was not the most efficient shooting half from beyond the arc for SC, but as a whole, the team was 20-of-38 on all shots combined in the opening stanza, once again notching a percentage of made shots greater than half of their total attempts. It was 47-24 at the break.

From the half on, Southwestern imposed their will upon the Tigers, extending their lead by an additional 18 points in the second half. They shot a ridiculous 20-of-34 in the latter period, while holding the Tigers to a paltry 12-of-40. The 97-56 final accurately depicted the way things unfolded on the floor in this one, as the Moundbuilders controlled the pace of play with ease. Southwestern was able to get to the basket on command, only needing to hit nine three-point shots in the matchup. They sunk 31 shots from inside the arc, including a vast majority of those from inside the paint. At the buzzer, the Builders had proven their strength with a 97-56 win.

Clark was the team's top scorer, tallying 24 points on 9-of-11 from the field. Additionally, he was 3-of-5 from three-point land and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. He was followed by Bol, who poured in 22 points for the Builders on 10-of-17 from the floor. Also reaching double-figures in the game were Zach Hidalgo (11 PTS, 5-6 FG), Jarvis Jennings (10 PTS, 4-9 FG) and Trey Abasolo (10 PTS, 4-10 FG).

Andrew O'Brien took his distributing role in stride today, as though he scored just four points himself, he had a total of 11 assists in the bout. Abasolo's four dimes and Phillip Smith's three rounded out the list of Builder players with multiple setups. Clark, Bol, Jennings and Hidalgo each tallied a single assist.

Another double-double was recorded by O'Brien in this one, as he also reeled in 11 rebounds for Southwestern. He had help from Abasolo (9), Bol (8), Cooper Pierce (5) and Hidalgo (5), who each had five or more boards. Jennings, Smith and Abraham Rodriguez Jr. each were able to wrangle four backboards to add to the team's total.

Stuffing the stat sheet in this one was Abasolo, who added a pair of steals to his already impressive box score. Trey White and Pierce also had a steal apiece in the tilt, while O'Brien, Hidalgo and Abasolo had blocked shots for the Moundbuilder defense. Overall, Southwestern held Central Christian to just 21-of-74 (28.4%) shooting, as the Tigers had trouble getting to the basket all game. The squad had 30 of their 74 shots taken from long range, and only hit six of those tries from downtown.

After the outstanding display of force, Southwestern (2-0) will head east to Atchison, Kan. for their biggest test yet this season against the Benedictine College (Kan.) Ravens. The game will be played on Saturday, November 5 at 5 p.m., and will be a litmus test for where the team stands with 11 days until the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) opener at No. 4-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

--buildersports.com--