Surprise, Ariz. – OUAZ Men's Basketball fought hard in a back-and-forth affair, but ultimately lost to #14 Morningside (11-2) 78-80 in their final game of the 2024. Their third straight loss is their longest losing streak of the season, and puts the Spirit at 7-7 on the year, heading into conference play.
The Spirit's offense had a solid day with a 44.6% shooting percentage from the field, and a 41.4% shooting percentage from the three-point line. The two key factors that would decide this game would be points off of turnovers and free throws. While the Spirit only had one more turnover than the Mustangs, Morningside took advantage by scoring 25 points off of turnovers versus OUAZ only scoring 17 points. There was also a major disparity in free throws as the Spirit attempted eight total free throws, while the Mustangs would attempt 30. These two areas were just enough to give the Mustangs a two-point edge over the Spirit.
Four Spirit players finished with double-digit points, led by Zeke Viuhkola, who had (18pts, two rebounds, and one assist). CJ Reed had a solid day in the effort with 17pts, seven rebounds, one block, and three assists. OUAZ also got contributions from Hunter Richardson, who had a line of (16pts, one assist, one steal, and one rebound), with Deuce LLyod adding (12pts, one steal) on the afternoon. Reggie Orr also played a major role on the defensive end with four steals and six defensive rebounds.
The Spirit will not play under game until the calendar turns to 2025, when they start Conference Play. Their first two Conference Games will be against two of the GSAC's newest members, starting with a road trip to Park Gilbert on Saturday, January 4th for a 7:30PM (MST) showdown. OUAZ will then come home to face Embry Riddle on Wednesday, January 8th at 7:30PM (MST), before finishing on the road against The Master's on Saturday, January 11th at 2:00PM (PT).
