OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 3, 2022) – When Lexy Borgstadt's buzzer-beating 3-pointer fell through the basket as the third quarter ended, Oklahoma Christian led Texas-Tyler by four points and the Lady Eagles seemed on the verge of upsetting the No. 5-ranked team in NCAA Division II's South Central Region.

But the Patriots had other ideas. They made eight of their first nine shots in the fourth quarter to seize the lead and went 6 of 8 from the free-throw line in the final 2:33 to hang on for a 72-67 win on Thursday over OC inside the Eagles' Nest.

Free-throw shooting played a big role in the game, as Texas-Tyler (14-5, 7-3 Lone Star Conference) hit 17 of 20 attempts (85 percent) compared to 13 of 21 (61.9 percent) for the Lady Eagles.

Neither team led by more than eight points the whole game and OC (0-16, 0-7) was ahead for about 18 minutes, two minutes longer than the Patriots, and committed a season-low seven turnovers. Texas-Tyler committed 17 turnovers but posted a 44-31 edge in rebounding, led by center Lia Davis, who had a season-high 17 rebounds to go with 14 points.

All five OC starters scored in double figures, led by Brooklin Bain, who posted her 10th double-double of the season (and her fifth in the past six games) with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

A 12-1 run over the final 7:52 of the first half turned a five-point deficit for OC into a 31-25 halftime lead.
During the third quarter, Lovisa Hevender hit three of her four 3-point baskets to put the Patriots ahead 38-34 at the 6:38 mark but OC outscored the Patriots 17-7 over the remainder of the quarter, capped by Borgstadt's basket.

Kate Bradley (14 points) and Kendra Levings (11 points) each hit a 3-pointer for OC in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and OC led 57-49, but the Lady Eagles couldn't match Texas-Tyler's torrid offensive pace in the final 10 minutes. The Patriots tied the game at 62-62 on two free throws by Davis with 4:57 left and Destini Whitehead followed with a layup, then a long 2-point basket. Texas-Tyler never trailed again.

OC missed eight straight field-goal attempts before Bain's put-back at the final buzzer.

Ashanti Day had 12 points and seven assists for OC while Kendall Blackburn added 10 points. For Texas-Tyler, Hevinder scored 14 points, Whitehead had 13 and Montse Gutierrez scored 12, making all four of her 3-point attempts in the first half.

OC will host No. 4/10-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce, the top team in the South Central Region, on Saturday.