After a dominant opening day win the week before, the College of the Ozarks Bobcats welcomed the Wildcats of Culver-Stockton College to the K, for Homecoming 2024.
After two scoreless possessions, DJ Quarles kicked off the Bobcat offense with a three, which was quickly answered by the Wildcats. Andrew Dalton fired back with a three of his own and the battle was on. After DJ Quarles grabbed a steal, he finished with a heavily contested layup to give the Bobcats an early 8-3 lead. The Wildcats dropped in two straight baskets to cut the deficit and the defense for each team took center stage. Caleb Faulkner drained a pair of free throws, and the Bobcats led 10-7 with 14 minutes left in the half. Andrew Dalton grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast to score, but the Wildcats quickly responded with a three. After a scoreless minute, Bryce Butler drew a foul and connected on both free throws, giving the Bobcats a 14-10 lead. A pair of Wildcat buckets evened the score, 14-14, and the Wildcats took their first lead with a bucket with 9:33 remaining in the half. The Bobcats were forced to take their first timeout after the Wildcats had gone on an 11-0 run to take a 21-14 lead. After a five-minute scoreless drought from the Bobcats, Andrew Dalton made one of two free throws and Garrett Snyder nailed a three pointer to cut the Bobcat deficit to five. Andrew Dalton drew another foul on a three-point attempt and made two of three to inch the Bobcats closer. Trailing 22-28, the Bobcats looked to cut the deficit with only 5:00 to go in the first half. Garrett Snyder nailed a mid-range jumper and then assisted Andrew Dalton on a layup that turned into a traditional three-point play. The Bobcats suddenly were within one point of the Wildcats. Kyle Flavin drove in for a bucket to give the Bobcats the lead again, but the Wildcats answered with a pair of free throws. DJ Quarles provided the Bobcat response and Garrett Snyder connected on a mid-range jumper to extend the lead. As time expired, the Bobcats held a 35-34 advantage.
The Wildcats were first to score in the second half, but the Bobcats kept their lead with a Garrett Snyder layup, and an Andrew Dalton three. Another Garrett Snyder layup and a Caleb Faulkner three put the Bobcats up 46-40, forcing the Wildcats to take their first timeout of the half with 16:21 remaining. After a Wildcat three, Garrett Snyder connected from three to hold off the challenge. The Wildcats, however, responded on the next possession to regain the lead and the Bobcats trailed 49-50. Caleb Faulkner answered with a three off a quick inbound to continue the tug of war. Andrew Dalton was fouled and connected on a pair of free throws, and the Bobcats led 54-50 with 12:45 to go in the half. A pair of Wildcat buckets from beyond the arc sent the lead back to the visitors before a Jay Baxter offensive rebound led to a Kyle Flavin three to put the Bobcats up 57-56. The lead changes would continue, and the Bobcats led 65-60 after Jaiden Wilson and Garrett Snyder connected on a pair of free throws each. The Wildcats took a timeout to regroup and scored four unanswered points out of the huddle to regain the lead. A quick Bobcat timeout was needed to break the momentum and a Kyle Flavin three out of the huddle provided the answer. Dalton, Baxter, and Faulkner teamed up to build a 73-68 Bobcat lead, with 3:15 remaining in the game. A pair of Kyle Flavin made free throws, and a Jay Baxter breakaway jam added to the lead and the Bobcats were looking to seal the win. An Andrew Dalton three extended the Bobcats lead to ten and the Wildcats would begin to foul as time was running down. A Wildcat three-point play was followed by a pair of DJ Quarles free throws and the Bobcats held on for the 86-78 win.
Andrew Dalton led the team with 24 points, and Garrett Snyder followed with 18 points. Jay Baxter led the team in both assists and rebounds with 4 and 11, respectively.
(Story and Garrett Snyder Photo courtesy C of O Sports Information)
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