ABILENE, Texas - The Southwestern University men's basketball team followed a double-double from forward Ryan Ogden on the way to an 85-74 victory over McMurry University on Saturday evening to close out 2017.

The Pirates move their record to 4-6 overall and will close out their regular season against Howard Payne at home on Tuesday.

Ogden was sparkling from the charity stripe, as his 11-of-12 performance boosted him to a 22-point, 14-rebound outing to lead Southwestern.

Ryan Wheeler went 7-of-10 from the floor on the way to a 20-point night and Brandon Alexander scored 18 points off the bench, connecting on 4-of-6 three-point attempts.

Southwestern held a 12-7 advantage after a 6-0 run boosted by a Wheeler triple. An Alexander trey gave the Pirates a 17-13 lead at the 11:15 mark of opening period. A 7-point run by McMurry put the hosts back in the lead with just under nine minutes to play in the period, but a Stan Kannegieter three-pointer with 8:37 to go in the frame put the teams back level at 20-all. 

McMurry pulled ahead late in the half and had a six-point edge at 35-29 with 1:43 to go before the Pirates closed out the period with a surge. An Ogden three-point play brought Southwestern back with in one possession, and his jumper on a Luke Hicks assist brought SU within a point. Luke Hicks canned a jumper with seven seconds left on the clock and the Pirates took a 36-35 lead into the break.

Wheeler made three free throws after a foul at the 17:43 mark of the second half, putting SU up 43-39 with 17:43 to play.

The Pirates would not concede the lead for the rest of the night. The WarHawks tied the game at 43-all, but another Ogden three-point play followed by a Joel Martinez three-pointer with 15 minutes to go made it a 49-43 Southwestern lead.

The sides traded points until a late Southwestern run sealed the victory. With four minutes to play, SU held a four-point lead at 71-67. A seven-point push was capped by Luke Hicks' jumper with just under two minutes to play, giving the Bucs a 78-67 lead. Southwestern was then able to hold off any McMurry runs, holding on for a win.