SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — 15 steals as a team and a 20-point effort from Tryssa Dowd were not enough for the Oklahoma Panhandle State women's basketball team (3-4, 0-2 SAC) Saturday afternoon in a 66-53 loss at John Brown (4-4, 2-0).
 
Seven different Aggies recorded exactly two steals in the game, lifting OPSU's defense to the most steals it has recorded under head coach Maria Belt. Mar'kia Pratt, La'Tommas Johnson-Nash, Nala Taylor, Zamari Reece, Lyric Carpenter, Serenity Casteel and Heidi Rodriguez were part of the ball-hawking effort with multiple takeaways apiece, while Dowd added one steal to her stat line.
 
The defense did wonders early for Panhandle State, hampering the number of looks at the basket for the Golden Eagles.
 
Pratt, Emily Bray and Dowd were all aggressive taking the ball to the hoop early, finishing at the rim and occasionally drawing contact to get to the line. Their play, combined with the forced turnovers on the other end, led OPSU to a 17-12 advantage after one quarter.
 
The flow of the game turned heavily in JBU's favor throughout the second and third periods, though, as the Aggies struggled to score for long stretches of play.
 
The Golden Eagles led by as many as 23 early in the fourth quarter, but Dowd and Panhandle State showed no quit. Tessa Kile checked into the game with a few minutes remaining and immediately cashed in on a three-pointer, while Dowd scored eight points in the latter half of the fourth quarter. Casteel also connected on a trey late to bring the final margin to 13.
 
Behind Dowd's 20 points and eight boards came Pratt with nine points. Bray chipped in six points, and Taylor notched a team-high three assists.
 
OPSU easily won the turnover battle, committing just nine compared to JBU's 23.
 
What's up next: Panhandle State returns home Tuesday for a 6 p.m. start versus Wayland Baptist (0-5, 0-1).