Science & Arts of Oklahoma captured the Sooner Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament championship 69-50 over Mid-America Christian on Tuesday night at USAO Fieldhouse. Cameron Hines (5'10''-PG) earned SAC Tournament most valuable player after providing the Drovers with 16 points Tuesday. USAO (17-2) locked up the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA Championship Tournament with its eighth win in a row. The Drovers will now await the NAIA's decision on who they will face in the NAIA Championship Opening Round on March 12-13. The selection show will be live on 7 p.m. CST Thursday, March 4 on the NAIA Facebook page. USAO led for majority of the contest, cruising to its first SAC Tournament championship since 2017. The Evangels (11-4) held a narrow lead early on, but the Drovers took the lead for good with over 13 minutes remaining in the first half. USAO was terrific on the defensive end, holding Mid-America Christian to a 16-for-61 (26.2 percent) clip from the field and just 4-for-27 (14.8 percent) from beyond the arc. The Drovers held a 40-25 lead at halftime, and USAO showed few signs of slowing down in the second half. The home team led by as many as 23 points in the second half. The Drovers won the rebounding battle 49-42, and they forced the Evangels into committing 15 turnovers. Hines, a senior from Fort Cobb, Okla., notched nine rebounds and a pair of assists Tuesday. He averaged 18.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during the tournament. Malik Malone (6'6''-G-96) topped Mid-America Christian with 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. Malone, a junior from Kileen, Texas, made the all-tournament team. USAO's Stephon Hall (6'0''-PG), a junior from Oklahoma City, snagged an all-tournament selection following his championship performance, which included 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. The Evangels' Tony Dorsey (6'0''-PG), who had five points and eight rebounds Tuesday, became an all-tournament choice. The Drovers' Boubacar Diakite (6'8''-G/F-98) played a huge role in the win, contributing 12 points and six rebounds. Tre'Veon Ellis (6'1''-G) continued to show out in the postseason, dropping 11 points and grabbing seven boards.
SAC Tournament Final: USAO - Mid-America Christian 69-50 SAC Tournament Semifinals: USAO - John Brown 88-83 Mid-America Christian - SAGU 94-91
Courtesy of soonerathletic.org
All-SAC Awards 2021 - Mar 16, 2021
All-Tournament MVP: Cameron Hines (5'10''-PG) of USAO Player of the Year: Joshua Kashila (6'3''-G) of SAGU Defensive Player of the Year: Ira Perrier (6'4''-G) of John Brown Freshman of the Year: Devin Avent (6'0''-PG) of WBU Newcomer of the Year: Joel Polius (6'8''-F-93) of SAGU Sportsmanship Award: Damarius Brooks (6'0''-PG) of MACU Coach of the Year: Delton Deal of SAGU