OAKLAND CITY, Ind. | Providing head coach Lennie Acuff with another milestone win, The University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team earned an 87-79 comeback victory at Oakland City on Saturday afternoon. The Chargers improve to 3-1 on the year, while OCU falls to 2-1.
 
With the victory, Acuff earns his 400th victory while at UAH, and that mark pushes the Huntsville native past former West Georgia, West Alabama, and Delta State coach Ed Murphy for the most in Gulf South Conference history.
 
Turning Point
-With the Chargers trailing 79-78 with just over a minute remaining, Chayse Elliott drew an offensive foul, hit a layup on the ensuing possession to put his team ahead, and nailed a dagger 3-pointer on UAH's next time down to seal the contest.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Justin Ward – yet again – led the Chargers in scoring as he went 9-for-17 including a 7-for-11 showing from 3-point land en route to scoring 29 points, and the senior also matched Kip Owens with a team-best eight rebounds.
-Elliott finished the afternoon 5-for-8 and scored 13, while Sam Orf added 13 and Owens chipped in with 10 to round out UAH's double-figure scoring contingent.
-Malik Cook-Stroupe dished out a team-best four assists while also grabbing five rebounds, and he scored four critical free throws down the stretch.
-With 26 points, Addison Wagler led the hosts.
-The Chargers shot 50.9 percent for the game including a terrific 15-for-33 from long-range, while Oakland City shot 43.9 percent for the contest and was held to a 5-for-19 showing on 3-point tries.
-The Mighty Oaks won the rebounding battle by a slim 34-32 edge.
 
Inside the Flow
-After UAH went ahead 7-4 early in the game, the Mighty Oaks would go on a sustained run and eventually would lead by a 10-point margin at 24-14 with 11:23 remaining in the first half.
-The Chargers then turned in one of their most impressive stretches of basketball on the young year, outscoring the hosts by a 24-4 margin to go up 43-28 when David Anderson's layup at the 4:16 mark fell, but OCU would answer back, cutting the UAH lead to just five at 45-40 at the half.
-UAH maintained its lead through the first 10 minutes of the second stanza, but OCU would go back in front on a pair of free throws at the 9:06 mark to go ahead 64-32, with the lead eventually expanding to 77-69 with just 4:09 remaining in the game.
-An Owens 3-pointer would make it a five-point game before Elliott scored five straight to pull UAH to within one at 77-76 with 3:07 remaining, and after OCU scored its final basketball of the game on its next possession, Cook-Stroupe scored his first points of the game with two free throws at the 1:53 mark to set up Elliott's last-minute heroics.
-Cook-Stroupe and Ward then added free throws late to create the 87-79 final.
 
Noteworthy
-Ward has scored at least 20 in three straight, and the New Market, Alabama, native is now averaging 23.3 points per contest.
-Owens has recorded at least five rebounds in each game, and the eight mark a season-best for the senior.
-The 15 3-pointers for the Chargers are the most in the season's first four games after UAH hit 14 in each of the first three contests of the year.
 
Next Time Out
-UAH returns to Kelly Court at Spragins Hall on Monday night, welcoming Tennessee Wesleyan. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.