Box Score AUSTIN, Texas (Feb. 26, 2015) – It was a moment Oklahoma Christian seniors
Skyler Newberry and
Kaitlyn Morris probably won't ever forget.
Newberry came up with a critical steal and Morris came up with the loose basketball, was fouled and hit the game-winning free throws with 6.1 seconds left on Thursday, lifting the Lady Eagles past St. Edward's (Texas) 58-56 at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
OC (12-13, 9-8 Heartland Conference) moved into a three-way tie for third in the NCAA Division II league's standings with St. Edward's and St. Mary's (Texas). The Lady Eagles, who started league play 0-4 but have won eight of their last 11 games, would finish no worse than tied for third with a win Saturday afternoon in their regular-season finale at Texas-Permian Basin.
"The effort of our team the last few games has been outstanding and it gets better each time," OC coach
Stephanie Findley said. "Tonight was the best yet and we hit shots to go with the effort. I'm so happy for Kat to be in that situation and come through after six years!"
It was a stunning finish for St. Edward's (15-10, 9-8), which beat OC by 22 points in December in Oklahoma City and held a 56-52 lead with 2:36 left. OC scored the final six points as the Hilltoppers missed their final four shots and a critical one-and-one free-throw opportunity down the stretch.
St. Edward's hit just 6 of 30 shots in the first half – missing 18 in a row during one stretch that lasted almost 12 minutes – allowing OC to build a double-digit lead. The Lady Eagles looked to be in control with a 30-17 halftime lead.
The Hilltoppers opened the second half on an 11-2 run to get themselves back into the game, but didn't take the lead until the 4:57 mark, when Jaimie Kadlecek's 3-pointer put them ahead 51-50. St. Edward's led 56-52 after Khiani Clark went 1-of-2 from the line.
St. Edward's could have extended that advantage further, but Lexi Fatheree and Mileka Loydrake (who led St. Edward's with 17 points) both missed jumpers.
Sydney Hill, who scored 10 points for OC, pulled the Lady Eagles within 56-54 with 1:18 left. Loydrake missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1:05 left, and a jump ball on the rebound went to OC. Newberry cashed in that break, hitting a 14-foot jumper with 47 seconds left to tie the game.
Loydrake missed a 14-footer at the other end and
Daisha Gonzaque rebounded for the Lady Eagles – her eighth board of the game. The ball found its way to
McKenzie Stanford, who led OC with 17 points. Stanford drove and attempted an 8-footer with about 10 seconds left but missed.
Fatheree grabbed the rebound, but Newberry alertly poked the ball away and it went to Morris, who was fouled under the basket.
Morris – in her sixth season with OC, after missing two seasons due to knee injuries – looked calm as she stepped to the line, but she was anything but.
"I was nervous before those free throws but after hitting that first one, I felt good about the second one, said Morris, who had scored only three points before the decisive free throws. "I'm so glad our team could pull out this strong win against a good team. Now we are ready to take this momentum over to the next game."
After a timeout, Loydrake brought the ball the length of the court and had a good look on a 14-foot jumper, but left it short, leaving the Lady Eagles to celebrate.
"It was a cool way to start wrapping up my career," Morris said. "I'm glad I have this amazing team to share this moment with."
Besides Stanford and Hill, no other OC player reached double figures, but Newberry was a stat stuffer, with nine points, four rebounds, three steals, a career-high three blocked shots and two assists.
Aisha Martin added eight points for OC.
Kadlecek had 14 points and seven rebounds and Fatheree had 14 points and nine rebounds for St. Edward's, which shot 32.8 percent from the field (20 of 61). OC shot 35.6 percent (21 of 59).
Of the other teams involved in the three-way tie, St. Edward's will host Newman (Kan.) on Saturday while St. Mary's will host Oklahoma Panhandle State.
OC's opponent, Texas-Permian Basin, is 8-9 in league play and tied with Texas A&M International for the fourth spot in the Heartland tournament entering the final game. (OC is ineligible for the tournament.)
