OBU's Championship Run Falls Short In Title Game

News9.com

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – It was a game of runs throughout, but unfortunately OBU's final run left them one bucket short.

The Bison missed out on an NAIA championship on Tuesday night, falling to Concordia (Calif.) 72-69 in the title game.

"We set the bar for what OBU basketball is supposed to be, in terms of heart and character," OBU Coach Doug Tolin said. "I can only speak for the last 12 years, but this is the standard by which we measure what Bison basketball should and will be."

Oklahoma Baptist got off to an incredibly hot start, going up 16-1 in the opening stages.

But then it was Concordia's turn to make a run of its own, as they rallied back to eventually lead 33-31 at halftime.

"We got that lead and then just started turning the ball over," Tolin said. "We didn't even make them really work hard. It got really hard to move the ball."

Concordia led by 10 points with just under 3:30 remaining in the game, but the Bison had one last run in them.

A series of 3-pointers eventually cut the lead down to three.

OBU had a couple of chances at the buzzer to tie it up. Emmanuel Wilson missed a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining but the Bison pulled down an offensive board.

In the final sequence, Wilson put up another 3, which was blocked to a waiting Heath McKay. He launched another 3-pointer up at the buzzer that rimmed out.

"We had a shot at the end," Tolin said. "You have to hand it to our guys. In a few days, when (they) think about it, they'll realize how impressive of a team this was. No OBU team has ever been this together."

The Bison were playing without DeAngelo McIntosh, who ruptured his patella tendon in the national semifinals.

Marques Anderson took his place in the starting lineup and put up an impressive 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite an obviously tough night, there was a proud moment for Wilson. He received the NAIA Player of the Year Award after the game to go along with his All-Tournament honors.