Women's Basketball | 1/16/2024 8:47:00 PM
Box Score Oklahoma Panhandle State University Women's Basketball Team faced a challenging match against Wayland Baptist, resulting in a final score of 100-38. This marks the second defeat for OPSU at the hands of Wayland Baptist this season. The Wayland Baptist Flying Queens are receiving votes in the NAIA national rankings.
The game tipped off with OPSU showing fight in the first quarter, despite being down 19-12. Notably, OPSU out-rebounded the taller Wayland team 8-5 in the opening quarter, displaying their determination on the court. However, the second quarter proved to be a struggle for OPSU as they were outscored 35-2.
Throughout the remainder of the game, OPSU found it challenging to contain the well-balanced Flying Queens. OPSU fought in the 4th quarter losing the quarter 22-14. The Flying Queens had 4 players in double figure scoring. The Aggies worked the 1-3-1 zone in the second half to get some easy buckets and get some rythym to leave the game with some positives.
Leading the charge for OPSU in the game was Jana Radovanovic, who contributed 16 points and 6 rebounds, shooting an impressive 7-11 from the field. Diana Santos had a solid all-around performance for the Aggies with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.
In a post-game statement, Head Coach Maria Wiltzius acknowledged the team's early battle but emphasized the impact of turnovers on momentum and energy. Wiltzius stated, "We battled early, but turning the ball over is a killer. It kills any momentum and energy. When we did get stops, they couldn't press us. Once we started giving up buckets, they picked us up full court, and we turned it over way too many times."
Looking ahead, the Aggies are determined to bounce back as they return home on Thursday, January 18, to face Langston at 6 PM.
