Lady Eagles hit big shots in final minutes to record a win

Sydney Hill orchestrates the offense on Thursday night against Newman. — Sydney Hill orchestrates the offense Thursday night against Newman. *Photo by Roxi Gonzalez*

After a close call at home, the Oklahoma Christian University women’s basketball team defeated Newman University on Thursday.

According to Lady Eagles Head Assistant Coach Lisa Zamroz, the team focused on rebounding the ball and limiting second-chance opportunities.

“We had a lot of heart and had opportunities to let it collapse and let it fold whenever it was a back-and-forth one-point game,” Zamroz said. “Kylee Hicks and Skyler Newberry really stepped up for us in the category of rebounding and toughness in the game.”

Senior Kaitlyn Morris said the team’s fast pace and aggressive defense kept the Lady Eagles in the lead.

“We had good intensity for the whole game and never let them get any big runs,” Morris said. “We rebounded the ball really well and had very few turnovers in the second half.”

McKenzie Stanford recorded 17 points, two assists and one steal in her 35 minutes of playing time. Sydney Hill added 16 points, 2 steals and 2 assists. Newberry scored 12 points, while Hicks had three points, two assists and one steal.

Oklahoma Christian ended the half with a 28-26 lead. The Lady Eagles wrapped up the first half with 14 turnovers, while the Jets had 15.

According to Newberry, the team cleaned up its ball handling going into the second half.

“After Coach came in and commented on how many turnovers we had, I was really motivated,” Newberry said.

Oklahoma Christian went into the second half with a renewed focus on defense and control of the ball.

Both teams struggled with free throws with Newman shooting a 42.9 percent free-throw average and OC at 55.6 percent.

Newberry said the game wouldn’t have been nearly as close if the Lady Eagles had performed better from the charity strike.

“We should have knocked down our free throws.” Newberry said.

According to Zamroz, the team was successful in following Coach Findley’s strategy.

“I think we executed well, but some shots don’t fall and [we missed] some rebounds,” Zamroz said. “I think for the most part we stuck with our game plan well.”

The Lady Eagles will continue to improve their defense, focus on intensity and constantly refine their shooting.

“We have some work to do,” Zamroz said. “And I think at this point, winning the next game and moving forward is our game-to-game goal.”

The Oklahoma Christian women’s team returns to action on Jan. 22 against Rogers State University at 5:30 p.m. in Claremore, Oklahoma.