SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's basketball team powered past Oakland City, 90-75, at the Knoerle Center on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 18). The Pomeroys, improved to 23-4 on the season including a 13-2 mark in River States Conference play, were led by
Greg Jenkins, who scored a career-high 31 points and dished out seven assists, leading the charge on offense for the home team.
Jenkins, playing 39 minutes, shot 13-of-23 from the field and also contributed four rebounds, four blocked shots and one steal. Following the game, the SMWC team cut down the Knoerle Center nets to celebrate their first-ever outright River States Conference Championship and automatic bid in the 2025 NAIA National Tournament. It will mark the second consecutive nationals appearance for the SMWC Men's Basketball program.
Caleb Iheukwu was another key performer for the Pomeroys, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds, while
Shon Tupuola added nine points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Pomeroys also benefitted from strong bench production, with
Taeron Hogg contributing 13 points and
DaMeriz Merriweather adding 12.
SMWC shot 48.4% from the field (31-of-64) and a solid 74.2% from the free-throw line (23-of-31). The team dominated in the paint, outscoring Oakland City 36-34 inside.
The Pomeroys opened the scoring early, with
Malachi Pearson's tip-in at 19:25 giving them a quick 2-0 lead. Despite several missed shots, including a layup by
Greg Jenkins and a 3-pointer by Jaylen Negron for Oakland City, the Pomeroys found their rhythm quickly. Jenkins scored six of the team's first ten points, highlighted by a jumper at 16:57 and a layup at 16:14, putting Saint Mary-of-the-Woods ahead 8-2.
Oakland City struggled offensively, as several of their key players, including Aamir Mack and Robby Williams, missed shots and were unable to capitalize on rebounds. However, the Ospreys slowly clawed back into the game. At the 15:33 mark, Jonathan Claxton's tip-in narrowed the gap to 8-6. Despite the efforts of Mack, who scored back-to-back jumpers to keep Oakland City in the game, the Pomeroys maintained their lead.
By the 8:22 mark, SMWC extended their lead to 24-14 after a pair of free throws by
Shon Tupuola and a dunk from
Caleb Iheukwu. Oakland City's response came in the form of Hunter Johnson, who hit a layup and added a free throw to reduce the deficit to 24-18 with 8:49 remaining in the half.
As the half wore on, the Pomeroys pulled away with a series of successful plays. A 3-pointer from
Greg Johnson at 6:02 extended their lead to 29-16. Oakland City had chances to narrow the margin but struggled with missed shots and turnovers, while Saint Mary-of-the-Woods continued to take advantage of the Ospreys' mistakes. A dunk by Jenkins with just under three minutes left in the half pushed the Pomeroys to a commanding 40-24 lead.
Oakland City finished the half strong, however, with a late flurry from Johnson and Negron cutting the lead to 42-33. Despite this, the Pomeroys head into the break with a nine-point cushion.
After a strong first half, the Ospreys came out swinging, cutting their deficit to just two points early in the second half. A layup by Oakland City's Aamir Mack at the 19:34 mark followed by a free throw made it 42-36, bringing OCU within six. However, SMWC responded quickly, with
Greg Jenkins contributing a jumper and a layup to push the lead back to eight.
The game remained competitive throughout, with Oakland City briefly narrowing the margin to just three points after a jumper by Robby Williams made it 47-44 at the 16:26 mark. But Jenkins and the Pomeroys quickly regained control, as Jenkins added another jumper, extending the lead to 48-46.
By the 12:39 mark, OCU had cut the lead to just four points following a 3-pointer by Hunter Johnson, but SMWC's
Caleb Iheukwu responded with a timely tip-in, putting the Pomeroys ahead 58-49. The Ospreys struggled to close the gap, as missed shots and turnovers plagued them in the final minutes. Meanwhile, Jenkins continued to shine for SMWC, hitting a 3-pointer at the 2:56 mark to push the lead to 80-65.
As time wound down, the Pomeroys maintained their advantage. A late 3-pointer by Dameriz Merriweather gave SMWC an 84-69 lead with just under two minutes remaining. OCU managed a few more points, including a layup from Mack and a jumper by Williams, but it was too little, too late.
Oakland City (7-20) was led by Hunter Johnson, who scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Despite a solid second-half shooting effort from the Oaks, who shot 56% from the field in the final 20 minutes, they could not overcome the Pomeroys' offensive firepower.
The Pomeroys now turn their focus to their regular season home finale, hosting IU-Kokomo at Noon (ET) on Saturday, February 22, at the Knoerle Center.
