Box Score DENVER (Nov. 14, 2015) – Oklahoma Christian rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to take the lead in the final minutes on Saturday afternoon at Regis (Colo.), but wasn't quite able to finish.
Regis closed the game on an 8-1 run to beat the Lady Eagles 64-58 in the Heartland-RMAC Challenge at Regis Fieldhouse.
OC (0-2) led 57-56 after
McKenzie Stanford hit the back end of a free-throw opportunity with 2:09 left. After a basket by Regis (1-1) put the Rangers ahead, OC's
Daisha Gonzaque also went 1-of-2 from the line to tie the game with 1:39 left. That proved to be the Lady Eagles' final point, as they went 0-of-3 from the field with a turnover in the final 75 seconds.
Regis – a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – took the lead for good on a layup by Kaylie Rader with 54 seconds left.
Sarah Parker missed a 3-point attempt for OC, and although
Daisha Gonzaque rebounded for the Lady Eagles, she quickly had the ball stolen by Regis' Caresse Williams.
Bay'lee Purdy hit two free throws with 17.7 seconds left to put the Rangers up 62-58.
Aisha Martin missed a 3-point attempt for OC and Purdy made two more free throws with 10 seconds left to seal the win for Regis.
Regis led 27-16 midway through the second quarter but OC cut that margin to 29-24 by halftime. Purdy's jumper with 7:24 left in the third quarter restored the Rangers' lead to 11 at 35-24, but Parker and Stanford each followed with a 3-pointer to start the OC comeback.
The Lady Eagles tied the game at 45-45 on a layup by Gonzaque with 9:34 left and took their biggest lead at 49-45 on a layup by Parker with 7:33 left.
Stanford led OC with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Parker had 14 points and eight rebounds. The Lady Eagles shot just 29.5 percent from the field (18 of 61), compared to 43.9 percent for Regis (25 of 57).
Purdy led the Rangers with 19 points, while Williams had 13. Shelby Espinoza (12) and Karlyn Johnson (10) both reached double digits in rebounds for the Rangers.
The Lady Eagles will host cross-Edmond rival Central Oklahoma on Tuesday in their home opener.
