BETHANY, Okla. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State women's basketball team (6-18, 3-16) could not stage a comeback following a slow start Thursday night at Southwestern Christian University (10-13, 7-12), where it fell by a final score of 60-47.
 
The hosts opened the game with a 14-6 lead through 10 minutes, but OPSU got within two midway through the second quarter following a two-pointer by Zamari Reece.
 
Buckets by Mar'kia Pratt, who had a strong second frame, and Jamie Baum helped keep the Aggies within striking distance by the end of the half, trailing 28-21.
 
The Eagles pulled away early in the third quarter, but baskets again by Pratt and Baum trimmed the deficit back to seven at 39-32 with 4:12 to go in the period. Four trips to the free-throw line in a five-possession span for SCU helped it take control of the contest heading into the fourth, up 46-35.
 
Lyric Carpenter and Tryssa Dowd connected inside early in the fourth as OPSU again closed the gap – this time to within six points, 47-41. The Aggies hung around for a while but never got any closer, ultimately falling short on the road.
 
Pratt tied for the game-high with 17 points, aided by a 9-for-12 night at the charity stripe. Reece and Carpenter added seven points apiece. Pratt, Reece and Carpenter each had three assists, with Pratt notching four steals and Carpenter grabbing eight rebounds to lead the team.
 
Dowd and Baum contributed eight and six points, respectively.
 
OPSU did a great job of limiting turnovers, committing only 10 compared to SCU's 12.
 
What's up next: Panhandle State heads to Oklahoma City University (9-16, 5-14) on Saturday to play its final road game of the season, with tipoff set for 2 p.m.