OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 18, 2018) – Beating teams ranked in the NCAA Division II top 25 is becoming a pleasant habit for Oklahoma Christian.

Jordan Box poured in a career-high 29 points, Elijah Strickland added 24 and the Eagles led nearly all the way while downing No. 25/17-ranked Dallas Baptist (Texas) 82-78 on Thursday night in the Eagles' Nest – giving coach Cory Cole a wonderful birthday present.

OC (7-10, 3-3 Heartland Conference) may not have the glossiest record, but the Eagles are in rare air this season, owning wins over three teams currently ranked in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II poll – No. 17 Dallas Baptist, No. 23 Arkansas-Fort Smith and No. 24 Southern Nazarene. DBU is No. 25 in the Division II Sports Information Directors Association poll this week.

The Eagles now sit only a game out of first place in what rapidly is turning into a tightly packed Heartland Conference race. Dallas Baptist (14-3, 4-2) remained tied for the lead, but it's become clear that it's anyone's conference to win.

"It's belief," Cole said. "We've just been trusting the process. It's a long season. We hadn't finished in earlier games, but we're just getting better. Our team is getting stronger and closer and we're going to finish strong.

"Basketball is a game of nights and on any given night, anyone can beat anybody. Our guys are really up to challenges. We've been fortunate and we've played really good games when it counted against those ranked teams. Our guys are just showing their capability and their potential."

Dallas Baptist closed a 17-point deficit to two points in the final three minutes of the game and was within 75-72 with 1:23 left, but Strickland caught an inbounds pass from Box and made a floater as the shot clock expired, putting OC up 77-72 with 54 seconds left. That play was made possible when Will Lienhard secured a jump ball after his own miss, with the possession arrow pointing OC's way.

After DBU's Carter Brown missed a layup, Box hit two free throws with 34.5 seconds left to give the Eagles a seven-point cushion. Strickland went 3 of 4 from the line in the final 19.9 seconds away to seal the win, which snapped a four-game OC losing streak against the Patriots. OC now leads the overall series against DBU by a 20-11 count.

"These guys are committed," Cole said. "They're still jelling in January and getting better. But the thing I love about our team is we're together no matter what. … With 10 games to go, you want your team to still have a chance to peak, and we've got that."

Strickland had 15 points in the first 10 minutes, giving the Eagles an early lead and not letting DBU go ahead by more than one point at any time. DBU pulled even at 22-22 with 7:07 left in the first half, but consecutive 3-pointers by Box started a 20-3 run by the Eagles. In the middle of that run, officials called a technical foul on DBU coach Blake Flickner.

Box had 13 points during that spurt and his third 3-pointer gave the Eagles a 42-25 lead at the 2:27 mark. OC held a 44-30 advantage at halftime.

But the Patriots slowly chipped away in the second half before OC rebuilt its lead to 67-55 on a 3-pointer by Strickland with 6:27 left. DBU – taking advantage of severe foul trouble for OC's inside foursome of Lienhard, Roderick Smith, Miroslav Jaksic and Abel Rodriguez, who each had at least four fouls – followed with a 14-4 run and pulled within 71-69 on a 3-pointer by Chandler Jacobs with 2:56 left.

Smith, a forward, had 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high six assists, while Lienhard – with his former Oklahoma State teammates Lindy Waters III and Mitchell Solomon watching from the stands – had nine rebounds and three blocked shots to go with two crucial jump balls he forced that went OC's way.

"Our inside guys are blue-collar," Cole said. "They'll do the dirty stuff. They'll do the pretty stuff. They'll get on the floor. They'll take charges. They're just gritty."

OC held DBU standout Boy Van Vliet to four points, nearly 12 under his average. Jacobs led the Patriots with 15 points while Patrick Burke had 15 and J.T. Harris had 12.

Meanwhile, OC's guard tandem of Box and Strickland went a combined 17 of 33 from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range, and hit 12 of 14 free throws.

"We've got the best backcourt, in my opinion, in the conference," Cole said. "I just wanted those guys to be encouraged and to be aggressive and enjoy it. Facing a ranked team, there's no pressure on us. If we go out and play to our capability, after 40 minutes, we know where we'll be. We weren't surprised."

OC will return to action on Saturday, visiting Lubbock Christian (Texas). The Eagles' next home game will be Feb. 3 against Rogers State.

Cory Cole discusses the win: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV5FoJdr75Q&feature=youtu.be

Highlights, courtesy of Eagle Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZIdBltOpws&feature=youtu.be