Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 2, 2017) – The law of averages meant that someday, Newman (Kan.) would win a women's basketball game for the first time at Oklahoma Christian. That day came Saturday.
Newman controlled the final 14 minutes, allowing the Jets to pull away for a 91-76 win over OC in the Lady Eagles' Heartland Conference opener in the Eagles' Nest.
Newman (8-4, 2-0 Heartland) hadn't won at OC (1-7, 0-1) since OC joined the conference with the 2012-13 season and forfeited a game to the Lady Eagles during the 1987-88 season after OC won two early-season meetings in Wichita, Kan.
This time, junior guard
Addy Clift – coming off her 42-point outing on Wednesday at Emporia State (Kan.) – led OC with 18 points, but the Lady Eagles struggled with their shooting, making only 38.3 percent of their attempts. Newman, by contrast, shot 51.6 percent from the field, led by preseason All-Heartland selection Hannah Alexander, who poured in 33 points.
"Basically, we have to get tougher on the defensive end, and we have to find someone who can give us consistent scoring besides Addy," OC coach
Stephanie Findley said.
OC's struggles began early and they fell into a 31-17 hole after Bria DeGrate hit a 3-pointer for Newman with 7:13 left in the second quarter. The Lady Eagles trailed 36-25 at the 4:49 mark before a 3-pointer by Clift ignited a huge run that ended with
Katie Mayo's steal and 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer, which put the Lady Eagles up 42-40.
Carolyne Lawley's three-point play gave OC a 46-42 lead with 8:35 left in the third quarter, but Newman scored the next eight points to regain the lead. Mayo – who scored 10 points for OC – tied the game at 53-53 at the 4:21 mark before the Jets closed the quarter on a 15-6 run. They stretched their lead to as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Abbey George added 33 points and eight rebounds for Newman, while DeGrate scored 12 points.
OC will host Northwestern Oklahoma State – coached by former OC All-America player Tasha (Turney) Diesselhorst – on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
