USAO Drover Sports

Drovers Rally to Beat OBU

CHICKASHA – Lindsey Monroe capped a frantic rally with a game winning three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining as the University of Science and Arts claimed a 70-69 win over No. 24 Oklahoma Baptist Thursday night inside the USAO Fieldhouse.

Katie Sterling led all scorers with 20 points including six of USAO’s final 11 points, but when the team needed a score the most, the conference’s second-leading scorer, penetrated into the lane and kicked it out to Monroe for the winning bucket. Her clutch shot gave the Drovers its fourth straight win and its second in a row against a nationally ranked opponent.

To get to their last possession with a change to tie or win, USAO had plenty of ground to make up through the game. The home squad was down by as many as 11 points in the first half and by as many as 13 in the second.

First-half threes by Christina Brown, two from Stephanie Russell and another from Sterling cut OBU’s first-half lead to 34-31. But the Lady Bison continued to answer each rally and finished the first half with a last-second bucket and a 39-33 lead.

OBU started the second half on a 9-3 run to take a 12-point advantage just three minutes out of the locker room. The deficit was 13 with 7:25 left before the Drover offense came to life.

Spear-headed by Nikki Yager’s second three-pointer of the season, USAO cut the lead from 13 points to four in just two minutes. The Drover rally continued as the team ended the final 4:48 on a 13-6 run.

Another three-pointer from Brown gave her team a 67-66 lead with 1:41 to play. OBU responded with a layup on the other end to take a one-point lead, and after a foul on its next trip, OBU had two free throws to go up three points with 23 seconds remaining. Dilenny Castillo missed her second attempt, and Monroe delivered the knock-out punch for USAO.

The team improves to 13-8 overall and 6-6 in the conference after avenging a 93-57 loss to OBU on Jan. 21. In that first meeting, OBU hit 12-of-24 three-pointers. Thursday, the SAC’s eighth-ranked three-point shooting team only managed 3-of-13 from outside. The two teams are now tied for fourth in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with six games remaining. USAO hosts St. Gregory’s at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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