SHAWNEE – Dylan Lemley's desperation heave from midcourt was off the mark as time expired, and St. Gregory's fell 50-47 to USAO Thursday night at W.P. Wood Field House. Lemley's shot capped a defensive struggle that saw the Drovers make a decisive run midway through the second half to secure their second win in three games. USAO's Norris Rumph scored a game-high 20 points – including 15 after halftime – to lead all scorers.

SGU (6-17, 0-13 SAC) held USAO to only 33 percent from the field and out-rebounded the visitors 40-23. But 21 turnovers and a 33 percent shooting effort in the second half did in the Cavaliers. The Drovers scored 25 points off of SGU's miscues for the game.

Fayzon Richey had a team-high 14 on 5 of 12 shooting for the Cavs, which lost for the 15th consecutive game. Josiah Campbell narrowly missed a double-double for SGU, finishing with nine points and nine boards.

USAO raced out to an 8-0 lead after making three of its first four from the floor. The Cavs slowly worked their way back into the game via their defensive effort. Down 18-12 with seven minutes left in the half, SGU allowed only one field goal the rest of the way. The home team took its first lead on a Campbell floater in the lane with 3:05 to go, closing the half on a 15-3 run to go up 27-21 at the break.

The Cavs held the Drovers to 31 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and out-rebounded the visitors 24-13 before halftime. Brock Vorwald and Campbell tied for team-high honors with six points each in the half.

Both teams traded jabs early in the second half before USAO began to take control of the game. Down 34-30 with 13:15 to go, the Drovers went on a 13-1 run over the next five minutes to equal their largest lead of the game – eight points – with 8:39 to play. Rumph had eight points during that stretch.

SGU didn't go away, though. Over the next five minutes, the Cavs cut the lead to three on two occasions and then pulled to within 45-44 on two Devonte Young free throws with 3:13 to go. SGU couldn't get over the hump though, as USAO maintained that slim lead down the stretch.

It was a three-point game with under 20 seconds to play when Richey missed a three from the corner for the tie. Campbell's put-back with nine seconds to go made it 48-47, but the Drovers quickly went the length of the floor to extend the lead back to three with one second to play.

SGU next plays at Oklahoma City on Saturday in a 5 p.m. game.