Women's Basketball | 11/21/2019 10:39:00 AM

 
GOODWELL, Okla. – Oklahoma Panhandle State University women's basketball team will jump into the Sooner Athletic Conference portion of its season in a big way beginning Thursday (Nov. 21/6 p.m.), when it travels to face NAIA No. 3-ranked Oklahoma City University.  The Aggies will also visit Southwestern Christian University on Saturday (Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.) in Bethany, Okla., on the two-game swing.
 
The Panhandle State women enter the weekend with a record of 3-1 overall. In three wins last week, the Aggies averaged 96.3 points per game and permitted its foes just 46.0 p.p.g., a scoring margin of plus-50.3 points for each outing. More importantly, OPSU displayed some deft shooting as a unit, hitting 52.6 percent from the field overall and nearly 42 percent from three-point range.
 
Panhandle was also a plus-20.0 rebounds per game, made half as many turnovers as its opponents and three times as many steals (11.7 to 3.7). OPSU has also shown its depth by attacking when other teams may be wearing down, having its biggest quarterly production coming in the second and fourth periods.
 
Individually, no less than five players averaged in double-figuring scoring last week, led by Nadia Hayes' 14.7 points per game. Hayes was lethal from the field, hitting on 86.4 percent (19-22) of her attempts and missing only one shot each game. She also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
 
Junior transfer Shaylynn Choate contributed 13.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Choate shot a healthy 66.7 percent from the floor and canned 9-of-15 treys (60 percent). Third-year Aggie Naomi Rodriguez came in at 12.7 points per game, while also averaging 3.0 assists and 2.7 steals each game.
 
Shay Audrain, 12.0 p.p.g., and Vanessa Gonzales, 11.7 p.p.g., round out OPSU's scoring leaders last week. Audrain and Gonzales each lit it up from beyond the arc, making seven and nine three-pointers, respectively.
 
Hannah Bennet and Cassia McCaskill each averaged 7.7 rebounds per game. Kaylee Morgan average 5.3 assists per game and Audrain also managed a pair of blocks.
ayes at 7.7
 
The OCU women were the NAIA national runner-up in 2018-19. The Stars are off to a 4-0 start in 2019-20.
 
Entering the weekend, Southwestern Christian is 6-0, the most wins by a SAC women's team, thus far.