OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- In what began as a Golden Eagle lead carried into halftime quickly turned for the worse as the John Brown University women's basketball team was out-scored 16-4 in the third quarter, setting up a difficult 66-51 loss at No. 5 Oklahoma City inside Abe Lemons Arena on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 27).
In the pivotal third quarter, the Golden Eagles (13-8, 7-5 Sooner Athletic) shot just 2-of-10 from the field and committed seven of its 19 total turnovers. The Stars (18-3, 11-1), meanwhile, turned a one-point deficit into an 11-point lead, 48-37, an advantage JBU couldn't overcome in the fourth.
What You Need to Know
» John Brown's frustrations with rival Oklahoma City continues as the Stars improve to 49-5 all-time versus the Golden Eagles and have won the last 10 meetings.
» The Golden Eagles actually led at halftime, 33-32, but were out-scored 16-4 in the fourth quarter.
» Four City players finished in double figures, but the Golden Eagles couldn't find another double-digit scorer to compliment junior Baily Cameron's game-high 25 points.
» Forcing 19 JBU turnovers, City translated the miscues into a 24-6 advantage in points off turnovers. |
City's Brooke Irwin was nearly unstoppable in the first half, shooting 6-of-6 from the floor, converting two offensive rebounds into easy put-backs. Cameron responded, however, hitting 4-of-5 in the second quarter as the visitors shot 50 percent from the field (7-of-14) and finished the half on an 11-6 run, helped by seven first-half points from senior Luize Skrastina.
The JBU offense couldn't dig the visitors out of the 11-point hole in the final ten minutes. OCU's Makayla Kay hit a pair of dagger triples late in the contest to keep the Golden Eagles winless in 10 outings against City.
Cameron finished with a game-high 25 on 10-of-19 shooting, and grabbed six boards. Senior Kimmy Deines added a pair of triples to finish with eight points and Skrastina, who didn't score in the second half, also finished with seven boards, helping John Brown to a 34-29 edge on the boards.
Irwin finished 6-of-8 from the field and scored 14 to accompany five boards and two blocks. Daniela Galindo had an off day, hitting just 5-of-17, but still managed 12 points, as did Kay off the bench. NaShyla Hammonds 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds in the win.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday (Feb. 1) at Bill George Arena. JBU will welcome Southwestern Christian (Okla.) in a 6 p.m. matchup, hoping for a season sweep of the Eagles.
