Basketball Teams Lose Doubleheader at OBU

SHAWNEE – After never trailing in regulation, the USAO women’s basketball team battled through three overtimes Thursday night before suffering an 84-80 loss to Oklahoma Baptist University. Meanwhile, the USAO men couldn’t get any offense going in an 81-56 loss to the Bison at the Noble Complex.

With their four-point loss, the Drover women fall to 7-12 overall and 2-6 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Thanks to their 25-point setback, the Drover men drop to 5-12 overall and 2-6 in the SAC. USAO ends the week Saturday by hosting St. Gregory’s in a doubleheader beginning at 6 p.m. 

After holding a 62-54 lead with about five minutes left in regulation, the Drovers saw it evaporate as the Lady Bison scored eight straight to tie at 62-all with 1:02 left. Neither team was able to break the tie in the closing minute of regulation. The Lady Bison got two three throws to open the first overtime for their first lead of the game at 64-62.

USAO took the lead at 69-67 with seconds left in the overtime, before OBU’s Tabetha Eaton, a former Chickasha standout, tied it on a layup with 19 seconds left.  The Lady Bison scored the first two baskets of the second overtime, but Drover senior Christal Merriweather tied it at 73-all with 38 seconds left.

As with the second overtime, OBU scored two baskets to start the third overtime and after a pair of free throws by USAO senior Karole Roberts, OBU’s Priscila Alves rained in a three-pointer to give OBU its biggest lead, 80-75 with 3:18 left. Merriweather answered with a trey to cut the lead to two and the sides traded field goals before OBU’s Kelli Welborn iced the game with two free throws with eight seconds remaining.

USAO scored the first seven points of the game, and lead by as many as 12 in the first half. Oklahoma Baptist tied the game twice, before USAO closed the first half with a 9-1 run and took a 37-29 lead at halftime.

Three Drovers finished in double figures, led by Merriweather with 25 points, five rebounds and two assists. Junior Katie Sterling finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and a team-high four assists. Junior Christina Brown added a season-high 19 points and three rebounds. Roberts did not have a field goal, but was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line for eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Oklahoma Baptist had five players in double figures, led by Welborn with 17 points. Others in double figures were Eaton with 15 points, Shannon Plumb and Layla Schwartz with 13 points each, and Rachel Heins with 10 points. Schwartz had a game-high four blocked shots, as the Lady Bison improve to 15-6 overall and 4-4 in the SAC.

In the men’s game, USAO shot just 28 percent from the field, and 2-of-19 from 3-point range the second half of an 81-56 loss to Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison put on a shooting clinic in the half, hitting 64 percent from the field and 7-of-10 from beyond the arc to outscore the Drovers 52-32 and break open a five-point game.

Two Drovers finished in double figures, led by senior Wayne Gibson with 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Senior Keith Miller scored 12 points, three rebounds and a team-high five assists. Senior Tony Jimmerson and sophomore Avery Stevenson added eight points each, and Jimmerson grabbed eight rebounds.