OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 6, 2021) – Down by 13 points less than eight minutes into its exhibition basketball game Saturday afternoon against a NAIA opponent, Oklahoma Christian didn't panic. Soon enough, it was the Lady Eagles pulling away.

Second-year freshman forward Brooklin Bain and true freshman forwa Lexy Borgstadt each recorded a double-double as the Lady Eagles seized control in the second quarter and cruised to an 87-63 win over York (Neb.) before a nearly-full house for homecoming inside the Eagles' Nest.

Bain scored 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds, while the 5-foot-10 Borgstadt bulled her way to a 21-point, 12-rebound performance. Another newcomer, junior-college transfer Macy Smith, added 11 points for the Lady Eagles, who used all 12 players who suited up against York.

"You hope that they learn to not panic and stay with the game plan," OC coach Stephanie Findley said. "I had talked to them about getting the ball inside. I felt like we had a strength there and we could score on them in there … and then look for threes later, but we had it totally reversed. We were shooting the threes first and not taking it inside. Once we started (going inside), we were able to settle down."

Things looked bleak early for the Lady Eagles, who missed their first 10 3-point attempts and had two starters – Bain and Kendall Blackburn – saddled with two fouls apiece less than eight minutes in the game. The Panthers took advantage, building a 19-6 lead.

"It was amazing," Findley said. "Not only were we missing those threes, it seemed like whatever twos we got, we were missing those too. When you start the year with homecoming, the big, loud crowd, I think the nerves get the best of you and we had to fight through that. Last year we didn't have homecoming, and so we weren't used to that, maybe. Half of our players had never played in front of that kind of crowd. We were able to fight through it and finally settle down."

Bain (who drew a whopping 10 fouls from York defenders) started a 17-2 run with two baskets in the final 64 seconds of the first quarter and back-to-back 3-pointers by Smith and Kendra Levings gave OC its first lead at 23-21 with 6:05 left in the second quarter.

York went up 26-25 on a basket by Natalia Perez with 4:45 left in the second quarter, but that proved to be the Panthers' last basket of the first half. OC scored 12 straight points – the first nine by Borgstadt – to go ahead 37-26 at halftime.

The Panthers came no closer than eight points in the second half. They were within 58-48 in the final minute of the third quarter, but OC scored 11 straight points – with Smith providing eight of those points on three baskets, including two 3-pointers – and never was threatened again.

Julia Trujillo led York with 22 points, while Amaia Diaz had 13 and Yionis Keith had 11.

OC's originally scheduled season opener, on Nov. 12 at The Master's (Calif.), has been postponed to another season, so the Lady Eagles will open their regular season at home on Nov. 18 against Champion Christian (Ark.).

Stephanie Findley discusses the game: https://youtu.be/IJZBWRpkgI4