Box Score WARNER — Sole possession of first place in the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference is on the line as the Northeastern A&M Golden Norsemen travel to Warner for an 8 p.m. confrontation Thursday with No. 8 ranked Connors State College in the Melvin Self Field House.
Both programs have constructed long winning streaks during the first half of the regular season while remaining undefeated in the OCAC.
Coach Dustin Grover's Golden Norsemen return from the long holiday break with a 10-game winning streak in tact. The Norse are 12-3 on the season and a perfect 4-0 in the conference after defeating Western State College 87-81 on Dec. 6 in Altus.
Longtime head coach Bill Muse has guided the Cowboys to an unblemished 4-0 mark in the OCAC and a 14-1 overall record. The Cowboys sit atop a 12-game winning streak after gaining an 81-63 non-conference win on Dec. 9 against Independence, Kansas in Warner.
During the regular season last year, the Golden Norsemen split the series.
The tandem of Ronnie Boyce and Willie Atwood combined for 60 total points (Boyce 31 and Atwood 29) to lead Connors to an 87-72 win in the NEO Field House. Igor Ibaka tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Norsemen.
Three weeks later, the Golden Norse had five players score in double figures en route to an 89-79 win in Warner. Christian Leach scored 18 points to lead NEO while Derrick Frye contributed 15, Ibaka 12, Lionel Green Jr. 12 and Errick Wright Jr. 10. Corlbe Ervin paced the Cowboys with 22 points along with Atwood 18, Boyce 16 and Devonte Robinson 12.
The mere nature of the competitiveness between the two programs came to a head in the post season in the Region 2 Tournament semifinals at the W.P. Wood Field House on the campus of St. Gregory's University in Shawnee.
Establishing a record for the longest game in the 55-year history of the Region 2 Tournament that extended for five overtime periods, the Golden Norse posted a 117-115 victory over the Cowboys en route to the regional championship.
Leach led all scorers with 30 total points for NEO while Powell contributed 24, Frye 14 and Ibaka 13.
Connors had six players reach double figures led by Quan Jones with 21 points, Ervin 19, Boyce 18, Terrance Carroll 17, Atwood 16 and Robinson 12.
"Obviously, Connors is one of the premiere programs in the country because of their high ranking," Grover said. "But, we feel like we're playing as well as they are and that we're pretty comparable to each other.
"They are typically a well-coached team that is fundamentally sound at both ends of the court," Grover said. "They've got pretty talented guards and good size all around."
Averaging 83.4 points per game, the Golden Norse are led by sophomore guard Jaylen Lowe (6-0 from Owasso). Lowe is averaging 13.3 points with 33 assists and 29 steals.
Freshman guard Shawn Nottingham (6-2 from Durham, N.C.) has a 12.8 scoring mark with a 3.2 rebounding average for NEO.
Veteran guard Corey Baldwin (6-4 from Bridgeport, Conn.) averages 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Norsemen.
"We've been back since Jan. 2, so we've had four days of good practices," Grover said. "Everyone is healthy and ready to get back into a routine when classes start on Monday.
"Thus far we haven't made any changes and have been emphasizing our transition game," Grover said. "We just want to be more consistent with our shooting and take care of the ball.
"People don't realize that we're still a young basketball team," Grover said. "We're still getting comfortable with each other."
The Cowboys are averaging 92.4 points per game with four players scoring in double figures.
Boyce (6-4 from Oklahoma City) is averaging 17.8 points for the Cowboys while Ervin (6-3 from Oklahoma City) has a 13.5 scoring mark with 137 assists and 24 steals.
Veteran forward Phabian Glasco (6-7 from Tulsa) leads Connors by grabbing 9 rebounds per game while scoring 13.9 points per game.
