OKWU EAGLES COACH DONNIE BOSTWICK GETS 500TH CAREER WIN; EAGLES SOAR; LADY EAGLES ARE HOME TUESDAY
Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s head coach Donnie Bostwick netted his 500th career game win over Friends (Kan.) University on Nov. 19.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Nov. 24, 2025
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
MAKE THAT 500 CAREER WINS FOR DONNIE BOSTWICK!
Yes, the all-caps proclamation with an exclamation point is appropriate.
Make that two exclamation points (!!). (And an added bold-type by the editor!)
Bostwick achieved the Brobdingnagian achievement in last week’s 83-77 come-from-behind battle at Friends (Kan.) University.
What some might consider a noteworthy side note, Bostwick reached the mighty milestone in less than 19 full seasons.
It was in the early summer of 2007 when Bostwick drove onto the OKWU campus to be introduced as the new men’s basketball coach. He left his successful gig as a valuable assistant at John Brown (Ark.) University to take charge of an Eagles’ program that had hit a serious downturn.
Bostwick Ball had a boomerang effect on OKWU’s fortunes.
From records of 8-22 and 10-20 the two seasons prior to his arrival, Bostwick’s rookie year (2007-08) saw OKWU set a school record for wins (26-8) and its first-ever appearance in the NAIA-II national tournament.
From there, the shadow of OKWU’s basketball program continued to expand throughout the nation.
— In 2008-09, Bostwick guided the Eagles to a 35-2 record and the NAIA-II national championship.
— Despite heavy graduation losses, the 2009-10 OKWU squad won 30 games again (30-5) and swooped into the Final Four of the NAIA-II.
By the end of Bostwick’s first four seasons (2007-11), OKWU had recorded a 120-20 record, including a 50-game home winning streak.
But, later in 2011, Bostwick resigned from OKWU and headed south to Texas, to coach at the Southwestern Assemblies of God.
He spent six seasons there — including a run to the NAIA-I national championship game one year — prior to returning in 2017 to OKWU, where he has remained since.
Bostwick’s win totals in the previous 18 seasons, broken down by school, were:
120-20: 2007-11, OKWU
152-25: 2011-17, SAGU
223-47: 2017-25, OKWU
Total: 495-124 (.801)
_____
That meant coming into this season he needed just five wins to reach the magical 500.
Mission accomplished against Friends as OKWU improved to 5-1. In addition to that achievement, Bostwick also reached his 275th conference victory (275-71) with the same victory.
____
Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles head basketball coach Donnie Bostwick always has a bible in hand while on the court. Bostwick earned his 500th win on Nov. 19 with a win over Friends (Kan.) University.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesvillle Area Sports
_____
Following are summaries of the win against Friends and other recent action for Bostwick’s Eagles and the Lady Eagles.
_____
MEN: OKWU 83, FRIENDS 77: OKWU overcame a halftime deficit to fricassee the Falcons of Friends in the second half in a key early season Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference clash.
OKWU went for nearly a half-a-hundred in the second half (46 points) to stay unbeaten in conference wars.
Tamaje Izuagbe and Malachi Okunbor each scored 14 to lead the Eagles, followed by Yashi McKenzie with 13 and Humberto Kentish Jr. with 11.
Izuagbe also yanked down 12 rebounds for the double-double.
———
MEN: OKWU 77, KANSAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 6O: OKWU improved to 6-1 (Bostwick’s 501st victory) by taking care of business against KWU.
Talk about spreading out the points.
Seven different Eagles scored at least seven points, led by Nick Bene with 14 and Nathaniel Law with 12.
McKenzie and Jaden Wilson each added nine.
Rounding out the top Eagle scorers were Okunbor with eight and Izuagbe and Kentish Jr. with seven apiece.
Law just missed out on a double-double (nine rebounds).
Caiden Punt racked up a double-double (19 points, 12 boards) for KWU and Wyatt Powell added 12 points and eight rebounds.
———
WOMEN: FRIENDS 65, OKWU 59: Despite a double-double by Khassidy Warr (14 points, 11 rebounds), the Lady Eagles dropped a KCAC showdown.
Taliyah Harris tallied a team-high 15 points and Gracie Alexander poured in 12 as OKWU’s top three scorers.
Harris handled eight rebounds. Ashlyn Baker added five points and eight boards, while Khmaille Warr scored six and fingered seven caroms.
Friends outscored OKWU in the second half, 37-33.
———
WOMEN: KANSAS WESLEYAN 62, OKWU 58: OKWU (3-3) suffered its third-straight loss in another nailbiter. KWU (5-2) came from behind in the fourth quarter, 21-15, to eke out the win at Mueller Sports Center.
Alexander flushed 16 points to top OKWU’s scoring sheet, followed by Harris with 11 (and seven boards) and Khmaille Warr with 10.
Khassidy Warr added nine points (and seven rebounds) followed by Katelyn Penner with five.
Chauncey Paige poured in 18 points for KWU.