In a challenging basketball contest at Keeter Gym on February 17, the College of the Ozarks Bobcats fell 73-61 to the visiting Wayland Baptist University Pioneers. Despite a spirited effort, the Bobcats were unable to overcome the early lead established by the Pioneers.

The game started with Wayland Baptist taking an assertive lead, quickly securing a 9-0 run. The first period saw Wayland leading 35-26, a gap that was established early on and featured significant contributions from Wayland's Brett Leach and Dylan McDougal.

Throughout the game, the Bobcats’ Andrew Dalton led the scoring for his team with 17 points and was a key figure in the game alongside his teammates Bryce Butler and DJ Quarles, who also put up strong numbers in rebounds and steals. Despite Andrew Dalton's performance, the second period heightened the challenge for the Bobcats as Wayland Baptist stretched their lead to 21 points at one time. Garrett Snyder and Jaiden Wilson, each scoring 12 points, fought hard to narrow the gap, but the Cats couldn't complete the comeback.

The Bobcats aim to turn their fortunes around in Texas, as they travel to face the UNT-Dallas Trailblazers and the Nelson University Lions on February 20 and 22, respectively.