Women's Basketball | 1/4/2024 7:48:00 PM
Box Score Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) Aggies women's basketball team returned to conference action after the holiday break, facing off against the Texas Wesleyan Rams on the road in Fort Worth, TX.
Coming off a recent matchup against West Texas A&M on December 30th to regain their basketball rhythm and shape, the Aggies were determined to secure their first conference win of the year. However, the game proved to be a tough battle against a formidable Texas Wesleyan team.
The Rams dominated the game from the beginning, taking control early on and leading after the first quarter with a score of 16-6. OPSU faced challenges with turnovers in the opening quarter, contributing to the Rams' advantage. Despite the Aggies taking better care of the basketball in the second quarter, they found themselves trailing 41-15 at halftime. Junior Jana Radovanovic led the Aggies in scoring with 6 points at the half.
The second half saw an improved performance from the Aggies, outscoring the Rams 21-12 in the fourth quarter. Although the third quarter was tight, with the Rams scoring 22 and OPSU scoring 16, the Aggies couldn't overcome the early deficit. The final score of the game was Rams 75, Aggies 52.
Jana Radovanovic led the team in scoring with 14 points and contributing 7 rebounds. Julia Pacheco, had an impressive performance off the bench with 9 points, going 5-6 from the free-throw line. Sierra Tate made significant contributions on the perimeter, finishing with 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Head Men's Basketball Coach, Charles Belt, filling in for the weekend, said after the game, "Tonight was a tail of 2 halves. When you're trying to learn how to win and how to create a culture of winning, the first step is being able to play hard consistently. We played really hard and did our jobs in the second half and if you look we won the second half. Our first half we went through the motions and our contagious losing habits bit us in the butt. We have to be growth minded and begin to stack up good days. Can't take 2 steps forward and 3 steps back if you want to improve."
Looking ahead, OPSU will face the University of Science and Arts on Saturday, January 6th, at 2 PM. The Aggies are determined to bounce back and showcase their skills in the upcoming game.
