Oakwood (AL) OAKWOOD 12-17

Talladega (AL) DEGA 13-13

Oakwood (AL) OAKWOOD

12-17

Final

Feb. 27, 2026

Talladega (AL) DEGA

13-13

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Oakwood (AL) OAKWOOD	37	48	85
Talladega (AL) DEGA	46	38	84

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/28/2026 7:43:00 AM

OAKWOOD'S RUN FOR THE AGES HELPS AMBASSADORS ADVANCE TO HBCUAC SEMIFINALS

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Oakwood University's hopes of advancing to the semifinals of the 2026 Hope Credit Union HBCU Athletic Conference Championship looked dim Friday afternoon.

The Ambassadors, who had been swept by Talladega College during the regular season, were down 77-65 with just under seven minutes remaining inside Birthright Hall at Stillman College.

However, Oakwood came up with a run for the ages, outscoring Talladega 20-7 over the last six-plus minutes and came away with a thrilling 85-84 come-from-behind victory to advance to take on West No. 1 seed Tougaloo Saturday at 8 p.m. in the semifinals.

"We've been talking about the importance of putting God first," Oakwood coach Simon Jacob said after his team improved to 12-18 with its third straight win. "That is the foundation of this. Our guys have bought in to the fact that we're a defense first team.

"Our defense has been igniting us and we've done a better job of sharing the ball. The ball is moving and more players are touching it and that has made us harder to guard and different players have stepped up."

Four different players – Joshua Barnett, Chase Jackson, Jordan Bell and Naftal Morara – scored during Oakwood's decisive run to win the game.

Barnett scored nine points during the run and his layup with 2:13 remaining pulled the Ambassadors within 80-77.

After a Talladega free throw, Jackson's layup pulled Oakwood within 81-79 with 1:23 to play.

Shaun Walker's three-point play gave Talladega an 84-79 advantage at the 1:14 mark, but Oakwood held the Tornadoes scoreless the rest of the way and was able to come away with the victory with a late flurry.

Jackson's free throw with just over a minute left made it 84-80 and Barnett's 3-pointer with 49 seconds left pulled the Ambassadors within 84-83.

After forcing a Talladega turnover, Bell's layup with 12 seconds left proved to be the game-winner and the Ambassadors forced another turnover late to punch their ticket to the semifinals.

Barnett was the best player on the floor Friday, finishing with a career-high 28 points.

He was 11-of-18 from the floor, including three 3-pointers, had four rebounds, six assists
and a steal.

"He has really stepped up in the tournament," Jacob said of Barnett.

Bell finished with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Jackson scored 14 points with two rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Oakwood shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the field, including 21 percent (4-of-19) from 3-point range, and 71.9 percent (23-of-32) from the free throw line.

Walker led Talladega with 16 points, while Derek Burditt finished with 15. Arthur Williams and Treyon Delmore scored 14 points each.

The Tornadoes shot 54.9 percent (28-51) from the field, including 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from beyond the arc, and 70 on (21-of-30) from the charity stripe.

Oakwood split a pair of games with Tougaloo during the regular season.

The Bulldogs won 88-64 in Huntsville on Jan. 3 and the Ambassadors won 74-69 in Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 5.

"Tougaloo is playing great right now," Jacob said. "In a lot of ways, they mirror us. They get after you defensively and that ignites their offense. It's going to be a battle."

Follow the Ambassadors
Visit the official home of Oakwood University athletics at Oakwood University - Official Athletics Website.

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