OBU rallies in final minutes to beat Lady Eagles 84-68

Katy O’Steen scored 17 points, but Oklahoma Christian fell 84-68 at Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday afternoon.

SHAWNEE, Okla. (Jan. 21, 2012) – Lauren Crenshaw scored 10 of her 14 points during a key second-half stretch, fueling an Oklahoma Baptist rally as the Lady Bison beat Oklahoma Christian 84-68 on Saturday afternoon at the Noble Complex.

Oklahoma Christian (7-12, 2-10 Sooner Athletic Conference) appeared to be on the verge of sweeping the season series from OBU (10-9, 6-5), leading by eight points with 12:56 left. OC was up 55-50 after a basket by Carli Covalt with 11:09 left but managed only two baskets and eight free throws the rest of the way.

Crenshaw had two 3-pointers and two 2-pointers for OBU during a 12-3 run that put the Lady Bison ahead 62-58 with 6:15 left. OBU gradually extended its lead during the final minutes as three OC frontline players – Covalt, Katy O’Steen and Andee Wayne – fouled out.

Katy Clift scored 20 points to lead the Lady Eagles, going 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. O’Steen scored 17 points, while Covalt had 12 and Logan McKee had seven points and a career-high 11 rebounds for OC.

“We played better and I was pleased with our ballhandling,” OC coach Stephanie Findley said. “But it wasn’t enough to overcome poor shooting, especially in the last six minutes.”

OC seized a 17-16 lead with a 9-0 first-half run, fueled by five points from Covalt. A three-point play by O’Steen put the Lady Eagles ahead 19-18. OC led 36-31 at halftime and didn’t trail again until a 3-pointer by Richardson with 6:27 left gave the Lady Bison a 60-58 advantage.

After shooting 31.6 percent (12 of 38) in the first half, OBU sizzled in the second half, shooting 64 percent (16 of 25). Lillian Prince finished 10-of-12 from the field and led OBU with 23 points (12 in the final 5:33) and 13 rebounds. Bridget Reynolds added 17 points for the Lady Bison.

OC, which lost its sixth straight game, shot 36.4 percent (18 of 60) from the field and a season-high 90 percent from the free-throw line (27 of 30). OC reserve guard Jessica Findley, who had been out since suffering a knee injury Dec. 1, returned Saturday and played the final 1:39 of the first half.

The Lady Eagles’ next game will be Thursday at No. 2-ranked Oklahoma City University.

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