EDMOND, Okla. - The Oklahoma Christian Lady Eagles (5-6, LSC 2-5) will hit the road this weekend to play Texas A&M International (2-11, LSC 1-6) Thursday evening, Jan. 9th, starting at 5:30 p.m. before traveling to Kingsville, TX to take on the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas (8-5, LSC 4-3) for a Saturday afternoon matchup on Jan. 11th at 1 p.m., as the Lady Eagles are looking to get back into the win column after a tough two-game home skid.
Eagles Outlook
The Lady Eagles are coming off a week of play, facing two nationally ranked teams, looking to step back into their game plan. In the first six quarters of play in 2025, the Lady Eagles struggled with shooting from both the field and the three-point line, but in the second half against No. 2 Texas Woman's, Head Coach Markeith Brown and the Lady Eagles began to find that confidence from long range and saw increased production from few new players.
With the duo guard play of Kate Bradley and Nakia Cullom still leading the way, averaging double-figures in scoring and moving the ball around well to set others up to score, empowering Ciara Harris and Jordan Francisco to step up in and get to the basket for the Lady Eagles.
Despite their shooting struggles on the field, the Lady Eagles are still atop the LSC in shooting from the foul line. They shoot just below 80% as a team, highlighted by six Lady Eagles shooting over 85% individually.
The Lady Eagles look to continue the play and energy they displayed late in the game against TWU and earn their first win of 2025.
Scouting the Dustdevils (2-11, LSC 1-6)
The Dustdevils entered the 2024-25 season with a new roster, including the coaching staff. Only two players from the previous season's roster returned for the first under the helm of Jaida Williams.
Williams led her team into the season with a gauntlet of competition before conference play that would only increase with Lone Star Conference play. The Dustdevils did not see their first win until their final game of the 2024 calendar year.
As a team, TAMIU struggles at the start of the game and the beginning of the half, being outscored in the first quarter by a margin of 37 points and a margin in the third by 49 points.
The Dustdevils are led on the court by the team's two returners, junior Angie Morgan and sophomore Taylor Jacobson, with the help of two newcomers, freshman Trinity Chears, and junior Josie Igherighe. This is highlighted by Chears and Igherighe combining to average 24.1 points a game for the Dustdevils.
TAMIU plays a complete team effort on defense, averaging over 10 steals a game, which is third in the conference.
Series History
The Lady Eagles still hold a 12-10 series lead over the Dustdevils, but TAMIU has claimed the last three games.
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Game 1 (Jan. 11th, 2024) - TAMIU 85 - OC 78
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TAMIU jumped out to an early lead in the first half, led by its graduate student roster. Graduate students scored 59 of the 85 points scored by the Dustdevils.
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The Lady Eagles made a valiant comeback in the second half, outscoring the Dustdevils 47-45, but they ran out of time to complete the comeback. OC saw outstanding production off the bench that night, with Taylor Jackson scoring 22 points and grabbing four rebounds in just 15 minutes of game time. Propelled by Jackson's 22 points, the Lady Eagles bench outscored the Dustdevils bench 41-11.
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Game 2 (Feb. 10th, 2024) - OC 69 - TAMIU 78
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With the home crowd cheering them on, the Dustdevils jumped to an 11-point lead in the first quarter, again led by their veteran roster. The three Dustdevils scored 59 points again against the Lady Eagles. 72% of TAMIU scoring came from four players between the two games.
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Once again, the Lady Eagles faced an early deficit. However, they battled, out-shooting TAMIU in the final three frames, 58-56. Brooklin Bain led the way, finishing with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. OC from the guard play of Kate Bradley, who scored 12 points, and forwards Jordan Francisco and Taylor Jackson, who combined for 12 points and 14 rebounds in the comeback effort.
Scouting the Javelinas (8-5, LSC 4-3)
The Javelinas are now in their sixth season under Head Coach Michael Madrid, looking for a bit of a rebuild after missing the postseason for the first time in two seasons last year. Madrid returned six from last year's roster and 58% of the scoring to help in the rebuild.
Kingsville is coming into this week of LSC play after two big wins on the road against St. Edward's and St. Mary's in the first week of the New Year.
While the Javelinas do not pride themselves on being a high-scoring team, they play hard-nosed defense to hold their opponents below their normal average. Kingsville also ranks in the top half of the LSC in all shooting categories.
Kingsville is led by three upperclassmen on both sides of the ball: Shelby Ray, Janessa Payne, and Abby Bala. The trio averages 29 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and three steals per game.
While the trio leads Kingsville, production can be found up and down the roster, with role players putting in great minutes in one or more aspects of the game.
Series History
The Lady Eagles and Javelinas are still early in their matchup history, having only met seven times entering this week. Both teams have seen a run of wins, with OC claiming three of the first four matchups before Kingsville went on a three-game win streak to take the series lead.
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Game 1 (Jan. 13th, 2024) - Kingsville 60 - OC 57
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The Lady Eagles jumped out to an early first-quarter lead behind stellar shooting at the foul line. Then, the Javelinas' red-hot second-half start gave them a lead into the fourth quarter, thanks to a complete team effort, with eight players finding ways to score for Kingsville.
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Oklahoma Christian would make a late charge in the final frame of play behind excellent play from Ahniya Melton (finished with eight points and four rebounds) and Jordan Francisco off the bench (finishing with seven points and six rebounds) but would watch the last second shot to tie the game fall short.
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Game 2 (Feb. 8th, 2024) - OC 43 - Kingsville 73
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The Javelinas put together a wire-to-wire win at home over the Lady Eagles in the second matchup of the year. Highlighted by Kingsville's dominance down low, recording 50 points in the paint and holding the Lady Eagles to shoot just 28% from the field. The Javelinas finished with four players in double-figures, highlighted by a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double from Shelby Ray off the bench.
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The Lady Eagles struggled to gain much momentum in the game, but they found production from all over the roster to help them in a second-half effort to gain momentum for the next game. Brooklin Bain led OC with 14 points and nine rebounds, followed by Kate Bradley and Jordan Francisco, who combined 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.