OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma Christian freshmen Elijah Elliott and Marco Foster are clearly on the way to establishing their mark in the Lone Star Conference.
 
So, it was of little surprise for the duo to combine for 39 points to fuel the Eagles to a 79-69 win over Midwestern State Friday night at the Eagles' Nest inside Payne Athletic Center.
 
MSU coach Justin Leslie was more alarmed by the decision making which resulted in the Mustangs' worst shooting night of the season and a sixth consecutive loss.
 
"We sure didn't shoot the ball well. What was most disappointing was our shots around the rim," he said.
 
Midwestern connected on a paltry 34.7 percent from the field and was 11-for-39 from beyond the arc (28.2). Both were season lows.
 
While Elliott, a freshman from the notable program of Yates High in Houston, poured in a game-high 22 points and Foster, the LSC's 3-point makes leader from Lancaster, buried five long-range triples to finish with 17 points to lead the Eagles to a third straight win, it was a sophomore big man who wreaked havoc on MSU.
 
In just his second start of the season, the 6-9 Hunter Staten scored eight points, but grabbed 14 rebounds while effectively defending the rim with five blocked shots.
 
"We threw the ball into his hands quite a bit. It was a missed opportunity around the rim all night tonight. I was very disappointed with our decision making in the paint tonight," Leslie said. "Our forwards better show up and make a layup tomorrow. (Staten) played well, but we allowed him to. We talked about how to handle that all week, but didn't execute tonight."
 
The Mustangs failed to penetrate the paint from the start of the game as MSU generated just one paint touch in the first 12 minutes of the game. That made scoring difficult, at best.
 
Meanwhile, the Eagles stretched the MSU zone connecting on seven triples before halftime which created space for penetration as OC used a 12-2 run to expand its advantage to 20 just 49 seconds before the break.
 
Midwestern mounted a charge to claw back to within 68-61 when Derrick Ogechi canned his second 3-pointer of the game with 2:51 to play, but Foster buried triples on OC's next two possessions to restore control for the Eagles.
 
Midwestern State junior Luke Hamilton completed his first collegiate double-double finishing with 17 points to go along with a career-high 13 rebounds, while sophomore Terrell Wilson matched him with 17 points including 10 in the second half.
 
The rematch between Midwestern State (7-7) and Oklahoma Christian (4-8) is set for Saturday afternoon at Payne Athletic Center. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.