BETHANY, Okla. (Jan. 1, 2011) – The Oklahoma Christian women's basketball team came up just short in their first game of the new year against No. 16 Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) falling 86-83 in an overtime thriller on Saturday.
The first half saw a close battle between the rival squads as both teams gained the lead on multiple occasions with neither team able to create more than a four-point gap.
Both the Lady Eagles and the Southern Nazarene women spent ample time in the lead, however, the Crimson Storm held a one-point lead at 35-34heading into the half, despite a closing basket by OC's Andee Wayne.
Heading into the second period, the Lady Eagles faced a potent SNU women's squad as the Crimson Storm took out on a 12-3 run to gain a 10-point lead over the OC women with 16:01 still left to play.
Minutes later, the Crimson Storm pushed the gap to 13 points over the Lady Eagles to take their largest lead of the game leaving OC at an even further disadvantage.
SNU held the lead for the majority of the period and still held the Lady Eagles at an 11-point deficit with 7:38 left on the clock. Over the next three minutes, however, the Lady Eagles put up a 9-0 run to close the gap to just 2 points with 4:52 to play.
As the teams exchanged baskets, the Lady Eagles came within just a point at 75-74 with 1:28 left in regulation. A layup by SNU's Logan Martin put the Crimson Storm at a three-point advantage with under a minute to play.
With 39 seconds on the clock, OC's Katy Clift connected on a shot from behind the arc to tie up the game at 77-77 and send it into overtime.
The Lady Eagles vied for the lead during the overtime period, but trailed the Crimson Storm from the start and were unable to recover the gap. Wayne drained two free throws with just 13 seconds on the clock to cut the margin to two points, however, a successful free throw from SNU's Martin shortly thereafter left the Crimson Storm with a three-point victory at 86-83.
Clift led the Lady Eagles' scoring with a 19-point performance for the game. Carli Covalt also played a major part in OC's total with 18 points of her own.
Wayne put up another 13 points while Katy O'Steen helped out down low with 12 points and six rebounds. Krista Stevens also registered double digit scoring for the game with 11 points and an additional seven assists and four rebounds.
The loss leaves the Lady Eagles to a 1-4 record in conference and at 7-6 overall. The OC women head back home for their next match as they join the men in hosting the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Monday with the women scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. and the men to follow at 8 p.m.
-OC-
