EDMOND, Okla. - The Oklahoma Christian Lady Eagles (6-11, LSC 3-10) enter the second half of a four-game road stretch looking to take on Lone Star Conference powerhouses No. 2 Texas Women's (19-1, LSC 12-1) on Thursday evening, Jan. 30th at 6 p.m. to round out play in January to open up the month of February with No. 7 UT Tyler (17-2, LSC 21-1) on Saturday the 1st in Tyler, Texas. 

The Eagles Outlook (6-11, LSC 3-10) 

The Lady Eagles are 13th in the Lone Star Conference standings with just nine games remaining, despite valiant individual performances from senior guard Kate Bradley, including a career-high performance against Lubbock Christian, and freshman guard Ciara Harris, who became the first freshman in the DII era at OC to score 30 points in a single game against the Midwestern State this past weekend, the Lady Eagles keep finding themselves coming up short of walking away with a victory. 

Bradley, nearing the 1,000-point mark of her career, leads the nation in minutes played (38.4) and is among the best in the conference in three-point shooting, making threes per game. She will try to close out her collegiate career by leading the Lady Eagles, along with Nakia Cullom, Jordan Francisco, and Ewa Kielar, to a strong finish to the season. 

The Lady Eagles have found a spark off the bench in freshman Reagan Berry. Over the weekend, Berry tied her career-high performance on Thursday at LCU, beating it in the next outing at MSU. Berry finished with 11 points and five rebounds to help give the Lady Eagles solid minutes and production off the bench. 

Scouting the No. 2 Pioneers (19-1, LSC 12-1) 

The defending conference champion, the Pioneers, have dominated the season, with only one slip against the Patriots in November in Tyler, Texas, in their conference opener. The TWU team is tearing its way through the Lone Star Conference with a scoring margin 15.4 over its opponents. 

Head Coach Beth Jillson has her team playing well in all aspects of the game, being neat at the top, if not leading, in every statistical category. This is due to the leadership of the reigning LSC Player of the Year, Ashley Ingram, who continues to make a difference on both sides of the ball. 

The Pioneers also find success from the field behind the incredible shooting of graduate student Scout Huffman. On the year, Huffman has shot 60% from the field, 55% from long range, and a perfect 27-27 from the foul line. Huffman has historically shot well against the Lady Eagles, including going 100% 7-7 from the field in the matchup earlier this year.

Series History 

TWU has a 9-2 all-time series lead over the Lady Eagles, including a seven-game winning streak over OC.  

Last Matchup - Jan. 5th, 2025 at The Eagles' Nest, TWU 65 - 53

• The matchup in the Nest earlier this year was a game of two halves. TWU jumped out to an early and significant lead in the first half, entering halftime with a 16-30 lead behind Scout Huffman's hot shooting and Ashley Ingram's rebounding. 

• The Lady Eagles did not fold and came out ready to battle in the second half, propelled by back-to-back threes from Kate Bradley. Behind the outstanding efforts in the paint from Jordan Francisco and Ewa Kielar, who combined for 12 rebounds and 19 points, they also held Ingram to just four points in the second half. They won the second half but fell short of closing the 15-point halftime deficit. 

Scouting the No. 7 Patriots (17-2, LSC 12-1) 

The red-hot Patriots of UT Tyler find themselves atop the Lone Star Conference, tied with Texas Women's and Lubbock Christian. The Patriots look to hit from long early and often, averaging 8.6 threes a game as a team with a percentage of 32. UT Tyler, a strong all-around scoring team, tends to find more scoring in the second half, averaging about five more points in the final two frames than their first two, coupled with their strong defensive, allowing under 30 points a half on average is giving the leverage they need late in games to finish with some big wins. 

Junior guard Meagan Mendazona leads the Patriots, averaging over 15 points a game and shooting just under 50% from the field. She has four 20-point performances on the season. Mendazona and her four other teammates (Polina Latysheva, Ella Bradley, and Tianna Knighton), averaging just under 10 points, are pushing the Patriots on a nine-game winning streak and on pace to finish better than their last two seasons. They are looking to make a deeper postseason run. 

Series History 

After OC won the first two matchups between the two teams, the Patriots have gone on to win the last seven and hold a multiple-game lead over the Lady Eagles. 

Last Matchup - Jan. 3rd, 2025, at The Eagles' Nest, UT Tyler 70 - OC 50

• The Patriots came into the Nest to open the 2025 part of the season for both teams and won dominantly. Latysheva Polina putting up her career-high 20 points over the Lady Eagles made all the difference when partnered with Lovisa Hevinder's 17-point and six rebound performance. The Patriots shot 50% as a team from the field and knocked down all eight attempts at the foul line. 

• The Lady Eagles battled, with three players reaching double figures: Nakia Cullom (13), Taylor Jackson (12), and Ciara Harris (10). However, shooting struggles throughout the game kept the Lady Eagles out of reach.