GOODWELL, Okla. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State women's basketball team (6-18, 3-15 SAC) won the first quarter 18-3, dominated the rebounding battle and cruised to a 69-53 win Monday night over Central Christian College (6-18, 2-16) to conclude its home stand.
 
Trying to break a six-game losing streak, the Aggies came out of the gates with strong focus as they held the Tigers to one point in an 11-minute span from early in the first quarter to early in the second frame. During that stretch, OPSU climbed ahead 22-3 by snatching seemingly every rebound, defending at a high level and getting efficient post play from Tryssa Dowd and Lyric Carpenter.
 
While CCCK's offense picked up for the remainder of the half, Panhandle State preserved its lead with balanced production to end the second quarter ahead, 36-18.
 
By halftime, Carpenter had scored 10 points, Mar'kia Pratt and Dowd had seven apiece, the Aggies combined for nine assists and Emily Bray led a dominant effort on the glass with 11 rebounds.
 
Turnovers early in the third period allowed the Tigers to get within a dozen points, but Heidi Rodriguez stemmed the tide with a pair of three-pointers, her second and third triples of the night.
 
Dowd scored inside by collecting her own putback for the quarter's final points as the Aggies took a 14-point lead into the fourth frame.
 
More balanced offense from the Aggies headlined the final quarter, and the Tigers would never cut their deficit to single-digits.
 
OPSU finished the night with a 51-27 advantage on the boards, good for its second best margin of the season. The only category that prevented the Aggies from an even bigger victory was the turnover battle, which Central Christian won by nine. Panhandle State held the Tigers to just 26.3% shooting from the field during the contest.
 
Dowd's night highlighted four Aggies in double figures, as the freshman center scored 17 and added eight rebounds. Pratt contributed 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Carpenter filled the stat sheet with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and a career-high four steals.
 
Rodriguez closed with 12 points, three assists and a pair of takeaways, and Bray notched 13 rebounds and two dimes to go with her six points.

What's up next: Panhandle State heads to Southwestern Christian University (9-13, 6-12 SAC) on Thursday to begin its final road trip of the season.