The Thunder men's basketball team opened 2025 with a home game against the Welch College Flames on Saturday afternoon. The Thunder would lead for the majority of the game and would be up by as much as 13 in the second half, only to falter in the second half and overtime to drop their first game of the new year, 113-106. It would be a shootout to start the game as it was a 21-18 Thunder advantage with 12:57 left in the half. The Thunder would then use an 8-0 run to push their lead to 11 about half way through the first half. After 20 minutes, the Thunder would lead 44-37. In the second half, the Thunder would find themselves up double-digits six different times and being up 10 with 7:54 to play. The Flames would take their first lead since the 15:48 mark in the first half with 1:30 to play in regulation. The Thunder would tie it up at 95 with 13 seconds remaining and a miss on the other end would force overtime. The Thunder would lead by one early in the overtime period and tie it at 102 with 2:29 left, but the Flames put the Thunder away with timely baskets and free throws to secure the victory. With the loss, the Thunder fall to 5-8 overall.

The Thunder would shoot 48.1% from the field, 25.8% from the three-point line, and 64.7% from the free throw line. The Thunder were led by sophomore, Davis Rokey who recorded another double-double with 35 points and 16 rebounds on 13-18 shooting from the field. Senior, Cody Mericle would have a career high 21 points on 9-12 shooting from the field and 3-5 from the three-point line, to go along with six rebounds. Fellow senior, Micah Lovett would chip in with 15 points, six assists to zero turnovers, four rebounds, and three steals, while junior, Xavier Lucas would have 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals for the Thunder.

The Thunder will be on the road for seven straight games starting with a Midwest Christian College Conference matchup with the Central Christian College of the Bible Saints on January 10th at 7:00 PM in Moberly, Missouri.

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