Box Score FORT SMITH, Ark. (Feb. 22, 2018) –
Addy Clift did what she does best on Thursday at Arkansas-Fort Smith, scoring from any and all angles en route to a 40-point performance – only the fourth such game in Heartland Conference women's basketball history.
But UAFS sizzled from behind the arc, tying its season high with 13 3-pointers – almost double the Lions' per-game average – and kept OC at bay, holding on for a 95-83 win at the Stubblefield Center.
UAFS (18-9, 10-4 Heartland) clinched second place in the league standings with the win. OC (8-17, 4-9) will finish either fifth or seventh, depending on the result of the Lady Eagles' regular-season finale Saturday at Rogers State.
Clift, a junior guard from Kiowa, has scored 20 or more points in six of OC's last seven games, including 35 against No. 2-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) last Saturday before her 40-point outburst against the Lions. Against UAFS, she went 9 of 23 from the field, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range.
Her performance Thursday tied for the third-best single-game scoring outing in Heartland history and was just two points shy of the league record, which Clift set by scoring 42 points at Emporia State (Kan.) on Nov. 29. The OC single-game scoring record is 43 points, set by OC Athletic Hall of Famer April Clowdus Kaaiohelo at St. Edward's (Texas) during the 1994-95 season.
Clift went 17 of 18 from the free-throw line against UAFS, and the 17 made free throws tied OC's single-game record, set by Kim Golden vs. Phillips on Feb. 8, 1990. The 17 made free throws also tied for second on the Heartland's single-game list, two off the record set by Sarah Johnson of Oklahoma Panhandle State vs. UAFS on Jan. 9, 2014.
Clift's 18 attempted free throws were only two off OC's school record in that category, set by Roz Hamilton against Texas A&M International on Feb. 21, 2013.
Katie Mayo added 16 points and 10 rebounds for OC, her second double-double of the season. But the Lady Eagles proved unable to dig out of a hole caused by a nine-point second quarter.
"That cold streak in the second quarter, and too many first-half turnovers, did us in," OC coach
Stephanie Findley said. "But I was pleased with our effort. We never shoot the ball very well in that gym, so it was good to see us put up 83 points there, even with scoring nine points in the second quarter.
"We did win the rebound battle, which is an achievement when you are playing against Tayla Taylor."
Taylor, the Lions' double-double machine, had another against OC, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds, but the Lady Eagles won the overall rebounding battle 43-37, thanks to Mayo and senior
Audrey Hayes, who grabbed 10 rebounds to go with her eight points.
Unfortunately for OC, seven different UAFS players hit at least one 3-pointer as the Lions went 13 of 29 from behind the arc.
OC led by as many as six points in the first quarter and was up 25-22 entering the second quarter, but the Lions seized control with an 11-0 run to start the quarter. UAFS scored 10 in a row late in the quarter and led 45-34 at halftime.
The Lady Eagles steadily rallied in the third quarter, though, and pulled within 65-63 on a three-point play by Clift with 11 seconds left in the period. OC was within 71-68 after a 3-pointer by
Ali Christie with 8:24 left, but the Lions put together another 11-0 run, fueled by a pair of 3-pointers by Ellie Lehne, who had four treys en route to a 12-point outing.
OC never recovered, coming no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Daijah Brown led UAFS with 18 points, while Mariah Green had 17.
