Bartlesville, OK -

Men's Basketball hosted the Avila University Eagles as they entered into the second round of conference play. Coming off of a tight win over the Tabor College Bluejays on Monday, the Eagles needed to jump out comfortably and maintain a lead against an aggressive Avila team. 

A fast start from both Eagles led to a constant back and forth battle on both ends of the floor. 37-32 battle at the end of the first half forced the Eagles to speed up their offense and push the ball into the paint with every opportunity. 

A 66-66 ball game with 3 minutes left of play and exciting as ever as both teams were defensively sound and pushing ground every step. Hashing McKenzie was key in this moment, drawing fouls and taking himself to the free throw line three times. After a hard fought, physical battle, OKWU took the 76-71 lead and collected their 14th conference win on the year. 

Yashi McKenzie showed up for the Eagles, ending his 18 minutes of play with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals to lead the Eagles. Blake Hamelin was another key element for the Eagles, tallying up 7 rebounds under the net. 

The Eagles are back in Mueller this upcoming Saturday as they look to face off against the Bethany College Swedes!