Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 12, 2014) – Thanks to stellar individual performances by Oklahoma Christian's McKenzie Stanford and Daisha Gonzaque and stellar perimeter defense, the rematch of last season's National Christian College Athletic Association Central Region title game really wasn't competitive.

For the second time in the last four games, Stanford set a new career high, scoring 29 points, and Gonzaque posted a career-best seven steals to go with eight points and four assists as OC led Mid-America Christian all the way on Friday night en route to a never-in-doubt 71-54 win in the Eagles' Nest.

OC (3-5) snapped a three-game losing streak, although each of those losses came to a team currently ranked in the top 25 of NCAA Division II. More importantly, the win over MACU (6-2) gave the Lady Eagles some much-needed momentum as they prepare for their Heartland Conference opener on Thursday against Texas-Permian Basin.

The Lady Eagles played without three key players – shooting guard Logan McKee and forward Emma Gade, who are out for the season, and point guard Sydney Hill, who had started OC's first seven games. But the new-look lineup produced positive results, as the Lady Eagles jumped to a 14-1 lead during the first six minutes and never led by less than six points after that.

OC led 36-27 at halftime, but scored the first six points of the second half and kept its lead in double digits the rest of the way.

"We were shorthanded, but I was glad to see that the girls worked the ball well together," OC coach Stephanie Findley said. "We were executing and trying to be real specific about what we wanted to do, since we had a few people maybe playing out of position. We tried to make sure we communicated each time down the floor what we wanted to do and we played a little slower maybe."

Stanford, a sophomore forward from Perkins who entered the week as the Heartland's second-leading scorer at 18.4 points per game, went 10-of-14 from the field – including 2-of-3 from 3-point range – and hit 7-of-9 free throws. She also added five rebounds in 30 minutes.

"She was hitting threes. She was hitting jumpers," Findley said. "It didn't matter. It was going in for her. The basket was huge for her. It's good to see. I know she's capable of that and I think she's capable of it every night. She's just got to go out there and we've got to get her the ball in the areas where she can score."

The Evangels committed 23 turnovers, and 14 of those were OC steals, with Gonzaque – a junior guard from Edmond making her first career start – accounting for half of those.

OC received contributions from up and down the lineup. Senior forward Skyler Newberry hit 2-of-4 from 3-point range and scored eight points to go with five rebounds. Junior forward Aisha Martin added nine points and four rebounds, while senior center Makenzie Brown had six points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists. Freshman guard Chandler Coale hit her first career 3-pointer midway through the first half.

OC finished 6-of-18 from 3-point range and shot 41.5 percent from the field (22 of 53). The Lady Eagles limited MACU to 6-of-28 3-point shooting (21.4 percent), routinely running at the Evangels' outside shooters.

MACU suited up only eight players and three of those fouled out, leaving the Evangels with only five healthy bodies on the floor at game's end. Ashlee Ferguson led MACU with 18 points while Alexia Kelley scored 10 points to go with eight rebounds. MACU, an NAIA member, played the game as an exhibition, meaning it won't count on the Evangels' record even though it does count toward OC's record.

It was OC's second straight win over the Evangels, as the Lady Eagles also beat MACU in last season's NCCAA Central Region title game. There's a chance the teams could see each other again in the postseason.

But for now, the Lady Eagles' focus will be on Heartland Conference play. OC's first four conference games are against teams considered by most to be four of the league's five best, in some order – Texas-Permian Basin, St. Edward's (Texas), St. Mary's (Texas) and Texas A&M International.

"Always in conference, it's going to be physical," Findley said. "We're going to need to be able to step up and make free throws. … That's an area of concern for us. And rebounding – we have got to improve our rebounding. It's just really imperative in conference play."