Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 29, 2015) – Time was ticking down and Oklahoma Christian's potential game-winning play had broken down. But Sydney Hill had the ball, so coach Stephanie Findley opted to see what the creative, quick junior guard could produce.

Hill's shot with 2.7 seconds left was a bit off-balance, but it caromed off the glass and through the basket. OC made a subsequent defensive stop to clinch a dramatic 55-54 win over Heartland Conference and South Central Region women's basketball power St. Mary's (Texas) on Thursday night before a raucous crowd at the Eagles' Nest.

OC (7-11, 4-6 Heartland) has not lost at home to St. Mary's (12-6, 6-4) in three meetings since OC joined the NCAA Division II conference with the 2012-13 season. The Rattlers entered Thursday's game at No. 6 in the regional rankings.

"That was real fun," Findley said. "I don't like them that exciting, but boy, it's a boost of confidence to us to finally pull something out like that."

Hill finished with 16 points and five assists, while forward McKenzie Stanford recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and a career-best 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Eagles, who won despite shooting 30.8 percent, missing all 10 of their 3-point attempts and being outrebounded 42-26.

The key? Lockdown defense early and success at the free-throw line throughout. OC limited the Rattlers to just 19 first-half points (OC scored only 20) and St. Mary's went just 1-of-10 from 3-point range and committed 30 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles – who entered the game shooting 68.3 percent from the line – went 23-of-27 (85.2 percent) and made their final 14 attempts.

"Both teams had trouble making shots," Findley said. "Nobody was making any threes tonight. It was going to be a grind-it-out kind of game and I just kept thinking that the longer we can hang in there, the more that this crowd is going to be a factor, and I think that's exactly what happened. The crowd got behind us as we made a little run there and it got wild for a couple of seconds and the next thing you know, we're ahead."

The lead changed hands five times in the final 2:43. Jasmine Hinton's layup (off a feed from Hill) put OC up 49-48, but Morgan Pullins – who led St. Mary's with 21 points and 15 rebounds – answered with an 8-foot jumper at the other end.

The Rattlers led 52-49 after a layup by Kyra Littlejohn with 1:33 left, but Hill made two free throws with 1:22 left and after an empty St. Mary's possession, Stanford did the same to put the Lady Eagles up 53-52.

Kiara Etheridge, who finished with 11 points, scored on a driving layup with 13.1 seconds left, giving the lead back to St. Mary's.

On the winning play, Hill first looked to drive left, but her path was blocked. She handed the ball off to Stanford near the top of the key and quickly got it back, then veered back outside and to the right of the basket, just in front of the OC bench. She drove again and shot over Emily Troell, using the backboard.

"You feel like, at any time, when Syd's got the ball, she can jump up and shoot over somebody," Findley said. "That's what I was looking for and that's exactly what she did and she used the glass, which I've been preaching to her all year."

On the final play for St. Mary's, OC's Kylee Hicks tipped the inbounds pass from Troell and all Pullins could manage was a 65-foot heave that fell well short.

Findley thought the game's key sequence came after St. Mary's took its largest lead at 48-43 with 3:49 left. With decibel levels high, the Rattlers turned the ball over on two straight possessions, allowing the Lady Eagles to rally and re-gain the lead.

"This was the Eagles' Nest of old and I loved it," said Findley, who's been involved with the OC program as a player, assistant coach or head coach for 37 seasons. "I hope people will come back, because they don't know how important that was, in such a close game. They got loud and it caused the other team some frustration and some nervousness and it ended up in several turnovers and a run for us, which made the game for us."

OC will host Texas A&M International at 3 p.m. on Saturday.