FORT SMITH, Ark. (Jan. 25, 2022) – A scoring drought at a most inopportune time proved to be the downfall of Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday night at Arkansas-Fort Smith.

OC rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to tie the basketball game, but then had four turnovers and four missed shots over the next five-plus minutes. Arkansas-Fort Smith took advantage to pull away for a 72-60 win over the Lady Eagles inside the Stubblefield Center.

UAFS (4-13, 2-6 Lone Star Conference) committed 26 turnovers but shot a season-best 57.1 percent from the field. OC (0-13, 0-5) had 23 turnovers, offsetting a season-high 16 steals. Second-year freshman forward Brooklin Bain recorded her third straight double-double for OC with 21 points and 11 rebounds to go with a career-high five steals.

OC scored the game's first seven points and led for most of the first quarter. A 15-5 run by the Lions put UAFS up 29-20 midway through the second quarter and a 7-0 spurt right before halftime extended the Lions' lead to 39-27.

The Lady Eagles, thanks in good part to a pair of 3-pointers by Kendra Levings, chipped away at that deficit throughout the third quarter and trailed only 49-48 when Ashanti Day ended the quarter with a steal and layup at the buzzer.

With 8:10 left, Kate Bradley's 3-pointer tied the game at 53-53 before the Lions scored the next 12 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Kalina Foster with 2:58 left.

Another 3-pointer by Levings pulled OC within 66-60 with 1:20 left, but Laurissa Campbell followed with a three-point play 14 seconds later to seal the win for Arkansas-Fort Smith.

"We had too many turnovers again," OC coach Stephanie Findley said. "We have to learn to value the ball and execute down the stretch. I am glad to see Kendra getting into a rhythm outside the arc. Hopefully we can feed off of that and keep that momentum going forward."

Kendall Blackburn scored 12 points for OC, while Levings had nine and Day had nine points to go with seven assists and four steals. Mar'Shalia Lollie led UAFS with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Paige Elston added 13 and Foster scored 10.

The game had originally been scheduled for Jan. 11 but was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, then rescheduled. OC and UAFS will play again on Thursday in Oklahoma City.