Women's Basketball | 11/23/2019 4:22:00 PM
Box Score BETHANY, Okla. – For the second-consecutive outing, the Oklahoma Panhandle State University women's basketball team had a potential upset slip from its grasp in the fourth quarter, this time in a 79-67 Sooner Athletic Conference loss at Southwestern Christian University. The Aggies (3-3, 0-2 SAC) led the Eagles (7-1, 1-1 SAC) after three periods, but could not hang on at Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.
SCU out-scored OPSU in the final stanza, 25-12, to create the separation it needed. Panhandle State had battled back from a 36-35 halftime deficit, after leading the Eagles after one quarter, 19-14.
The Aggies looked like they might run away early, jumping ahead of SCU 6-2 and 11-4 at the 6:0-1 juncture of the first after a three-point basket from
Shaylynn Choate. Choate would bury a trio of treys in the opening half to help the Crimson and Blue to the locker room lead.
Unfortunately, for Choate and the Aggies, foul trouble and the Eagles' defense would keep her scoreless in the second half.
The two teams kept close to each other the duration of the third quarter, as
Naomi Rodriguez and
Shay Audrain began to heat up, giving OPSU the one-point lead heading into the fourth, 55-54. The Eagles opened the final segment on a 10-3 run within the first two minutes to create a gap that Panhandle could not overcome the rest of the way.
Rodriguez, the junior guard from Hooker High School, led OPSU scorers with 19 points, bolstered by a 5-for-10 game from beyond the arc. Rodriguez was 6-of-13 from the floor, overall, and had three assists to her credit.
Audrain was an efficient 6-of-13 from the field on her way to a 17-point game. Audrain was 4-for-7 from three-point range, as well. The Stratford, Texas native pulled down three boards.
Junior transfer
Cassia McCaskill finished the game with eight points and three assists.
Kaylee Morgan booked five points and
Nadia Hayes four, also grabbing three rebounds.
Three points from
Laura Moya Demures and two from
Hannah Bennett rounded out the OPSU scoring. Choate chipped in a team-leading four assists.
"We didn't play well enough, defensively," OPSU Head Coach
Victor Esparza said. "We have to do a better job on that end of the floor. I was pleased with the way that we played on offense and we continued to shoot the ball well. We just need to do a better job of taking care of the ball and finishing with a rebound. It starts with me and making sure we are ready to play every game."
Panhandle State will next play in San Antonio at the Our Lady of the Lake Classic on November 29-30. On Friday (Nov. 29/4 p.m.), OPSU will face host OLLU, before taking on Keiser University on Saturday (Nov. 30/4 p.m.).
