Chandler, Ariz.-- OUAZ Men's Basketball came up short on the road Monday night, falling 77–66 to Justice inside Dr. Paul Chinchen Court in Chandler, Arizona. The loss drops the Spirit to 12–12 overall and 5–8 in GSAC play.
OUAZ stayed within striking distance throughout the contest, trailing 38–32 at the halftime break before matching Justice point-for-point in the second half. Despite a solid offensive showing after the intermission, the Spirit were unable to overcome a strong shooting performance from the Lions, who finished the night at 49.1 percent from the field.
Zeke Viuhkola led the Spirit offensively, finishing with a team-high 14 points while adding four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes of action. Tyran Simpson followed with 13 points, knocking down five free throws and contributing on both ends of the floor. Max Mkpa delivered an efficient performance in the paint, scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting while pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.
Jerry Johnson provided a spark off the bench, scoring 11 points and going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. As a team, OUAZ shot 44.9 percent from the field and totaled 34 points in the paint, but struggled from beyond the arc, finishing 3-for-16 from three-point range.
Justice was led by Rayqwan King's 22-point performance, while the Lions capitalized on turnovers and second-chance opportunities to extend their lead in the second half.
OUAZ will return home on Saturday for a GSAC matchup against Benedictine Mesa, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (MST).
