LUBBOCK, Texas (Jan. 31, 2022) – Beating No. 11/8-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) inside the Rip Griffin Center is a tall task for any basketball team – the LCU women haven't lost at home in more than seven years. But Oklahoma Christian made the Chaparrals work for consecutive home win No. 99.
OC was within 12 points of Lubbock Christian in the final minute of the third quarter and it took a late surge by the Chaparrals to pull away for a 75-51 win over the Lady Eagles in a makeup game on Monday night. The game had originally been scheduled for Jan. 8 but was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
Brooklin Bain recorded her ninth double-double of the season for OC (0-15, 0-6 Lone Star Conference) with 17 points and 10 rebounds while freshman guard
Ashanti Day posted her second straight double-digit scoring game with 11 points to go with four steals.
Lubbock Christian (18-4, 7-3), last season's NCAA Division II champion, received a strong all-around game from senior Allie Schulte, who had 15 points, seven rebounds and seven steals. Schulte, who ranks second in Division II in total steals this season, was a constant pest around the basketball as the Lady Eagles tried to advance the ball up the court or run their offense.
The Chaparrals scored 13 straight points in the first quarter and led 30-14 after a 3-pointer by Shaylee Stovall with 6:18 left in the second quarter, but thanks to 11-of-12 free-throw shooting, OC stayed within shouting distance and closed the gap to 12 points before trailing 38-24 at halftime.
Consecutive baskets by Bain and Day pulled OC within 52-40 with 58 seconds left in the third quarter, but Lubbock Christian then went on a 16-2 run, capped by a basket by Juliana Robertson that made it 68-42 with 4:42 left. Robertson had 10 points and seven rebounds for LCU, while Laynee Burr added 11 points and Ashton Duncan scored 12 on 4-of-10 3-point shooting.
Two OC players made their collegiate debuts, as redshirt freshmen
Hope Fletcher and
Lia Mikiashvili each played the final 1:43 of the game.
The Lady Eagles committed 22 turnovers and shot 37 percent (17 of 46) from the field. Lubbock Christian shot 47.5 percent (28 of 59) from the field, including 34.4 percent (11 of 32) from 3-point range.
The game against LCU was the first of three this week for OC, all against opponents ranked in the top five in the South Central Region. In addition to its national ranking, Lubbock Christian is No. 3 on the regional list. The Lady Eagles are scheduled to host regional No. 5 Texas-Tyler on Thursday and regional No. 1 (and national top-10 squad) Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday.
