In a back-and-forth battle, the Bay Area Panthers squeezed out a narrow 44-41 victory over the Tulsa Oilers in IFL action, Saturday night in San Jose, Calif.

The Oilers are now 6-4 and have lost two games in a row after winning five straight. Tulsa dropped to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Bay Area improved to 7-2 and is in first place in the Western Conference.

Bay Area got on the scoreboard early with an opening-drive touchdown scored by Joshua Tomas on a one-yard run. The Panthers didn’t take long to score their second touchdown of the game, when Josh Jones found an open Brian Smith with a seven-yard touchdown pass into the endzone, giving the Panthers a 12-0 lead through the first quarter.

Tulsa opened the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run up the middle by quarterback T.J. Edwards II. Later in the second quarter, the Oilers took the lead thanks on a passing touchdown from Edwards to Cole Blackman in the back of the endzone to go ahead 14-12.

Bay Area responded with the second touchdown of the game for Tomas, a 27-yard run to put the Panthers ahead 18-14 with 2:34 left in the second quarter.

Edwards and Blackmon would then connect on another touchdown pass play, to give Tulsa the lead, 21-20 late in the second.

With just 24 seconds remaining before halftime, Bay Area’s Tomas scored his third touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run, to regain the lead. However, the Oilers weren’t ready to just head to the locker room. Kicker Ross Moore kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired, bringing Tulsa within two points of the Panthers, 26-24, at halftime.

Moore opened the second half with a 22-yard field goal to take the lead, 27-26.

Panthers’ kicker, Axel Perez, was good on a 21-yard attempt and Bay Area regained the lead, 29-27. The Panthers then recovered a fumble on the kickoff return and Franky West Jr. returned it 38 yards for a score, putting Bay Area ahead by 10, 37-27 with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Edwards then gave Tulsa some much-needed momentum with back-to-back rushing touchdowns, a nine-yard run before the end of the third quarter and a two-yard run early in the fourth quarter, giving Tulsa a 41-37 lead.

With 3:22 remaining, Jones scored on a two-yard quarterback keeper to put the Panthers ahead for good, 44-41.

Before time expired, the Oilers had a chance to win the game, but a pass into the end zone was intercepted by a Panthers player.

The Oilers will be home at the BOK Center this Saturday night to face the San Antonio Gunslingers at 7:05 p.m.