Arkansas Baptist's basketball program may have given new meaning to the phrase "double team."
Two games were played Saturday night on courts 450 miles apart, with Arkansas Baptist listed as the visiting team - and the loser - in both games. Some of the school's players were officially listed as seeing action at both sites.The victories allowed one school in Texas to break a 30-game losing streak and another school in Oklahoma to extend the NAIA's longest win streak.
On Monday, officials at the three schools involved were trying to figure out what happened.
"Four names appeared in both box scores," Arkansas Baptist athletic director George Biggs said Monday. "Unless they are are Jesus, Paul, Silas and Elijah - he never died you know, he was just taken up - then it would be impossible."
Basketball fans at Prairie View A&M, about 50 miles northwest of Houston, went wild Saturday night when the Panthers snapped their losing streak with a 90-76 victory over Arkansas Baptist.
At Oklahoma City University - the defending NAIA champion - fans were also pleased with a shellacking of Arkansas Baptist, 148-78, that extended the Chiefs' winning streak to 63. (The streak ended Monday night when Oklahoma City lost to Central Arkansas.)
Arkansas Baptist officials denied Monday that the school sent a team to both campuses. The team went to Prairie View, they said, with head coach Arcell Marks.
"It looks like something's gravely wrong," said W.T. Keaton, president of the 286-student school.
Oklahoma City coach Win Case said his school paid a $1,200 gate guarantee to the man who coached the Arkansas Baptist team Saturday night.