Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 3, 2018) – With the Heartland Conference schedule requiring Oklahoma Christian to play two basketball games starting less than 44 hours apart in towns separated by a six-hour bus ride, OC coach
Stephanie Findley had concerns about how the travel combined with the quick turnaround would affect her team.
It eventually did catch up to the Lady Eagles on Saturday afternoon against Rogers State, but their start was strong enough that they were able to hang on for a 76-63 win over the Hillcats in the Eagles' Nest.
It was the second straight win for OC (7-14, 3-6 Heartland), which played at home for the first time since Jan. 6. The wins this week at St. Edward's (Texas) and against Rogers State (7-13, 2-6) moved the Lady Eagles past the Hillcats into sixth place in the league standings.
Junior guard
Addy Clift, the Heartland's leading scorer, scored 25 points to lead the way for OC, while point guard
Maddison Collyer had 13 points and center
Carolyne Lawley provided a big lift inside with 12 points. Inside reserves
Delyssa Miller and
Hannah Bentsen grabbed seven rebounds each, helping OC win the battle of the boards 45-43.
"It was a good team effort again today," Findley said. "We had good energy in the beginning to get ourselves going, with some full-court pressure, and our post play was solid the rest of the way as we kind of hit the fatigue wall in the second half. Thursday's travel seemed to drain us in the second half."
OC closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run – capped by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Clift – to go ahead 23-11. The Lady Eagles led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter and were up 38-21 at halftime.
Their lead peaked at 43-23 on a 3-pointer by Lawley early in the third quarter before the Hillcats began edging back into the game. Rogers State pulled within 10 before
Megan Shelton hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to give OC a 56-43 lead heading into the fourth.
The Lady Eagles kept their lead in double digits until the final two minutes. Rogers State pulled within eight points at 71-63 with 56 seconds left on a free throw by Lauren Schuldt, but OC went 5 of 6 from the free-throw line after that to keep the Hillcats at bay.
Schuldt was Rogers State's top player, finishing with 20 points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Ke'Aunna Johnson came off the bench to score 15 for the Hillcats, while Desiree Nelson had 12.
After their long road stretch, OC will play its next three games at home, starting Thursday night against Texas A&M International.
Highlights, courtesy of Eagle Media:
https://youtu.be/M2j7Vn1zu1Y
