EDMOND, Okla. - The Oklahoma Christian Lady Eagles (6-7, LSC 3-6) play host this week, with two divisional opponents entering the Nest. Facing off with the Hilltoppers of St. Edward's University (6-11, LSC 2-6) on Jan. 16th and the Rattlers of St. Mary's (7-7, LSC 3-5) on Jan. 18th. 

Eagles Outlook 

The Lady Eagles are coming off a weekend on the road, finishing 1-1 and fighting through shooting struggles. While the Lady Eagles still find themselves in the top half of the LSC in field goal percentage (40%) and second in free throw percentage (77%), the struggles from long range as a team have dropped to below 30% and are in the bottom half of the conference. 

Oklahoma Christian relies on the leadership and scoring of Kate Bradley, Nakia Cullom, and Jordan Francisco and the increased production of true freshman Ciara Harris. 

Bradley leads the conference in minutes played per game (37.9) and 3-pointers made per game (5.2), continues to have a stellar final year of play, averaging 13.7 points per game (8th in LSC), shooting 42% from long range (4th in LSC), and clutch from the free throw line, shooting 85% (3rd in the LSC) looks to have a big weekend in front of the home crowd to a few big wins over divisional opponents. 

The tandem threat of Cullom and Harris uses their speed and agility to blow by defenders on their way to the basket and impact the defensive end. Both average a few steals each game. 

The Lady Eagles are also led by senior forward Jordan Francisco, who has continued to step up for OC on both ends of the floor. 

Scouting the Hilltoppers 

Head Coach J.J. Riehl will bring her 14th Hilltopper team into the Nest with a 6-11 LSC 2-6 record, looking for a big win over the Lady Eagles. The Hilltoppers, picked to finish 12th in the LSC Preseason poll, sit ranked in the top half of the conference in almost every statistical category and are being led by sophomore guard Janiah (JP) Perkins. 

Perkins, one of six returners from last year's roster, leads the team with 13.6 points per game, 4.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. 

Also leading the way for the Hilltoppers is JUCO transfer Kiana Bennett, who comes into this week averaging 10 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, and is shooting 85% from the free throw line. 

The Hilltoppers look to start every game quickly, outscoring their opponent by 63 points in the first quarter. However, the team struggles to start the second half, outscored by 32 points in the third quarter. 

Series History and Last Years Matchups 

The Lady Eagles and the Hilltoppers have a long history, dating back to 1993. St. Edward's leads OC 15-10 all-time. If St. Edward's wins on Thursday, they will claim the series' longest streak, currently five wins. This includes going 2-0 against the Lady Eagles last year.

• Game 1 - OC at SEU Jan. 18th, 2024 

  • St. Edward's, propelled by a 22-point third quarter, claimed the 52-64 victory at home over the Lady Eagles. 40 of the 64 points scored by the Hilltoppers came from the six players that returned to this year's roster. 

  • Despite being within a few possessions throughout the game, the Lady Eagles could not complete a comeback.

• Game 2 - SEU at OC Feb. 17th, 2024

  • The two teams competed in a back-and-forth barn-burner, with the Hilltoppers winning by five points over the Lady Eagles.

  • The Lady Eagles ended the first half with a slight lead at home but came out cold. They were held to just ten points in the third quarter and were down by 13, entering the last ten minutes of play. Behind an incredible 23-point, 16-rebound double-double from Brooklin Bain, the Lady Eagles outscored the Hilltoppers 33-25 in the final quarter but came up just short of a complete fourth-quarter comeback. 

  • The Hilltoppers were led by JP Perkins (24 points), Bailey Featherstone (17), and Edmond Memorial graduate Isabel Langenberg (15 points). All three returned for this season. 

Scouting the Rattlers 

Entering their third season under Valerie Huizar's leadership, the Rattlers were picked to finish 13th in the LSC Preseason Poll, only bringing back three players from last year's roster. The Ladies of St. Mary's pride themselves on being a defensive team, sitting in the top half of the LSC in defensive categories. However, they still struggle to find enough scoring to offset their slight -0.9 scoring margin. 

The Rattlers find scoring from their whole roster, with every player producing for St. Mary's and crashing hard on the boards, with the team ranked 5th in the conference in rebounding, averaging just under 40 boards a game. 

The Rattlers are led by true freshman Christin Callens, averaging 12.9 points per game, shooting 48% from the field and 73% from the foul line, and 6.1 rebounds a game. 

The Rattlers are a strong second-half team, outscoring their first-half total by 132 points, and will look to make a run in the third quarter.

Series History and Last Years Matchups 

Old Heartland conference foes, now LSC foes, have a long history of battling it out in the gym, going back to 1997. With the Lady Eagles on a six-game winning streak over the Rattlers, the series is tied at 12, with the winner of Saturday's game gaining the series lead. 

• Game 1 - OC at St. Mary's Jan. 20th, 2024

  • Tied at 50 entering the final 10 minutes of play, the Lady Eagles emerged victorious over the Rattlers, shooting 66% from the field and 90% from the foul line in the fourth quarter to pull out the 4-point victory on the road. Brooklin Bain, with a 24-point, 15-rebound double-double and a 21-point performance from Asiyha Smith, helped lead the Lady Eagles to victory. The Lady Eagles also dominated the game from the bench, outscoring the Rattlers 44-28, highlighted by Taylor Jackson, Jordan Francisco, and Nakia Cullom combining for 21 points and 12 rebounds. 

• Game 2 - St. Mary's at OC Feb. 15th, 2024 

  • The Rattlers entered the Nest and threw the first punch, jumping out to a first-quarter lead and holding the Lady Eagles to 10 points. The Rattlers devised a game plan to utilize everyone, with 11 players scoring for the Rattlers. 

  • The Lady Eagles would outscore the Rattlers in the final three quarters 74-42 to a dominant 84-53, 31-point home victory. Highlighted by Taylor Jackson, dropping 25 points off the bench, shooting 11-14 from the field, 1-1 from three, and 2-2 from the foul line.