GOODWELL, Okla. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State women's basketball team (1-0) gave a lively, "White Out" OPSU crowd much to cheer for in a season-opening 68-54 win over Randall (0-1) Thursday night in Anchor D Arena.
The underclassmen of a young Aggies squad stole the show in the victory, while returners
Heidi Rodriguez and
Zamari Reece cleared career highs in three-pointers and assists, respectively.
The night began with Randall showcasing its range from beyond the arc in an entertaining first quarter. Through the back-and-forth opening 10 minutes, the Saints held a 15-13 lead.
Rodriguez gave the Aggies a 16-15 advantage seconds into the second period with a three-pointer, a sign of things to come for her and the home team. Trailing 27-24 with two minutes to play before halftime, Rodriguez gave the Aggies a huge lift and brought Anchor D Arena to life with three consecutive triples, two of which were assisted by Reece.
Leading 33-27 to begin the third quarter, OPSU's defense put the clamps on while it surged to a 48-36 advantage. Across those 10 minutes, Panhandle State outrebounded the Saints 12-4 and led in paint points, 10-2.
The Aggies never let up with
Tryssa Dowd going on a personal 5-0 run to open the fourth, spearheading OPSU to its second 20-point frame of the night en route to a 14-point victory.
Dowd, a freshman, poured in a team-high 17 on 6-of-11 shooting. She added eight rebounds, which tied for the game high along with fellow freshman
Emily Bray and transfer
La'Tommas Johnson-Nash.
Rodriguez, Johnson-Nash and
Mar'kia Pratt ended the evening in double figures, with Pratt and Johnson-Nash tallying three steals apiece – part of 13 steals for the Aggies with all seven rotation players getting in on the action.
Lyric Carpenter delivered a solid showing off the bench with six points, eight rebounds and two steals, while Reece blew her career best out of the water with nine assists.
What's up next: OPSU has nearly two weeks to prepare for its next contest, a Nov. 4 road clash at Hesston (0-0).
