Box Score ODESSA, Texas (Jan. 11, 2016) –
Sarah Parker got Oklahoma Christian to overtime on Monday, and once there,
Sydney Hill and
Addy Clift finished off a dramatic win for the Lady Eagles.
Parker scored 24 points, including the game-tying free throws with two-tenths of a second left in regulation, and Clift and Hill combined for nine points in the extra period as OC beat Texas-Permian Basin 101-94 at the Falcon Dome.
OC (7-9, 4-2 Heartland Conference) won on the road for the fourth time in its last five tries, reaching triple digits for the second time in three games and the third time this season. The Lady Eagles hadn't scored 100 or more points in three games in once season since the 1994-95 campaign, when they did it three times.
The Lady Eagles moved into third place in the Heartland standings, trailing only No. 2-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) at 5-0 and St. Mary's (Texas) at 5-1.
"What a great way to finish a much-too-long road trip!" OC coach
Stephanie Findley said. "The girls hung in there and kept fighting."
OC looked to have the game in hand in the fourth quarter, holding a 10-point lead with five minutes left and leading 86-79 after a jumper by Hill with 2:27 left. But UTPB (4-11, 0-5) rallied and took an 87-86 lead on a 3-pointer by Shanna Taylor with 47 seconds left.
After Catarina Rendon missed a pair of free throws for the Falcons with 31.5 seconds left, Hill went 1-of-2 from the line with 22.2 seconds left to tie the game.
Sierra LaGrande hit a 17-foot jumper with 1.6 seconds left to put UTPB up 89-87, but after a timeout – during which the Lady Eagles advanced the ball to the frontcourt – Hill inbounded to Parker, who drove toward the basket and was fouled by Khadijah Vigil. Parker sank both free throws to force overtime.
The lead traded hands five times during the first three minutes of overtime, with Clift putting the Lady Eagles up for good at 95-93 with an NBA-range 3-pointer with 2:08 left. Rendon hit 1-of-2 free throws to pull the Falcons within a point, but Hill's short jumper made it 97-94 with 1:32 left.
UTPB didn't score again, misfiring on its final three possessions. Hill made two free throws with 35.5 seconds left for the last two of her 21 points and
Hannah Holasek sealed the win with a layup with 3.7 seconds left.
"Sarah made the clutch free throws and in overtime, Addy was big with a reverse layup and a deep 3-pointer, and then Sydney also had a clutch little floater in the lane," Findley said.
Clift also scored 21 points and had four steals for the Lady Eagles, the sixth straight double-digit scoring game for the freshman guard. Senior
Aisha Martin added 13 points. Hill also had eight rebounds and six assists to go with her 21 points.
OC, which entered the game leading NCAA Division II in made free throws, went 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) from the line and outrebounded the Falcons 53-37. Included in that total for the Lady Eagles were 21 offensive boards.
LaGrande led UTPB with 25 points, while Niniva Taito had 23 and Vigil scored 16 to go with her nine rebounds.
The Lady Eagles will play their fourth straight road game at Newman (Kan.) on Thursday.
