OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Oklahoma Panhandle State University basketball teams both lost their bouts at Mid-America Christian University, in Sooner Athletic Conference action. The Aggie women were defeated by the NAIA received-votes Evangels, 99-50, while the men dropped an 88-55 decision to the No. 2-ranked MACU squad.
The Panhandle women could not stop the inside game of the Evangels which, coupled with its 21 turnovers (12 unforced errors), led to their second loss of the year to the host team. MACU tallied 50 points in the paint, had 18 second chance points and out-rebounded OPSU by a 45-29 margin.
Junior
Cassia McCaskill was the only Aggie in double-figure scoring with 10 points. McCaskill hit 4-of-8 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. She also tied for the team lead with three assists and one steal.
Junior guard
Laura Moya Demures added nine points on a 4-of-5 shooting game, to go along with three assists. Freshman
Shay Audrain booked eight points and
Shaylynn Choate had seven.
Naomi Rodriguez and
Vanessa Gonzalez each managed five points. Four points from
Nadia Hayes and two by
Hannah Bennett rounded out the scoring.
Bennett led OPSU with five rebounds. Senior
Lowendie Laporal pulled down four boards.
In the men's nightcap, the Aggie men hung with the second-rated Evangels early, trailing by just two points (22-20) after
DK Sumo IV canned a trey at the 8:47 juncture. But immediately after that, the experience of the MACU team began to show as it went on a 10-0 run over the next 2:21 minutes to move ahead for good, building a 45-30 cushion by halftime.
Sumo led all scorers with 18 points. Sumo went 4-of-13 shooting from the floor, including a pair of three balls, and was 4-for-4 from the free throw stripe. He also had two steals to his credit.
Sophomore
Quentin Fankhouser was the only other double-digit scorer with 11 points, converting 9-of-12 free throw chances. He also had six rebounds and two steals.
Daniel Holyfield paced the Aggies on the glass, hauling in seven caroms. He also scored six points.
Thomas Ellis added eight points and two steals to the OPSU coffers.
Four points from Tristan Womble, three each from
Cameron Ray and
Auston Chatman, along with two points by
Brett Williams, rounded out the Panhandle scorers.
Much like the women's contest, the MACU men had a strong presence inside with 38 points in the paint and 26 second-chance points. The Aggies were out-rebounded 56-27 (20 on the offensive end).
The Panhandle State teams will look to regroup on Saturday at the University of Science and Arts-Oklahoma. The women's game begins at 2 p.m. and the men follow at around 3:45 p.m.
