After a win against Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Thursday night, the Oklahoma Christian University Lady Eagles fell short to Lubbock Christian University at home on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Eagles’ defense held the Aggies to their lowest point total of the season on Thursday.
With a simplified offense and a new defensive press, Women’s Basketball Head Coach Stephanie Findley said she was optimistic about their chances on home court.
“We have played a very tough schedule and hopefully that will start paying off,” Findley said. “Tonight will be the key.”
The Lady Eagles were able to conquer the Aggies 86-47 by making timely decisions about passing the ball and knowing when to shoot.
According to forward McKenzie Stanford, preparation allowed her team to prevail and thwart the four-game losing streak.
“I think coach has got us prepared, we just have to stick to the game plan and execute and that’s on us,” Stanford said. “[The coaches] have done their part, now we have to do ours.”
Stanford led with 23 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Gorham was also able to score a career-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Oklahoma Christian was not able to continue on the win streak into Saturday. At halftime, the score showed the Lady Eagles leading the Chaps 32-26, but the Chaparrals took the lead in the last few minutes and beat the Eagles 69-64.
Findley said the scores in the past have not been indicative of the good stretches that they played in the games.
“At the very end of the game we have a bad stretch and that’s not the time you want to do that,” Findley said. “They’re a really good three-point team, but they also have girls that can score inside so it’s hard because you cant help each other very much. We have to defend the arc and limit their second chance opportunities.”
Sydney Hill played a leading role in breaking the LCU press and taking care of the ball. She scored a season-high 21 points in her 32 minutes of playing time.
“Teams focus on McKenzie Stanford and double- and triple-team her now and we’ve got to figure that out,” Findley said. “We’ve got to be ready to shoot and make shots when she does pass it out of the double team. They do that with Sydney Hill too, they clog up the lane and don’t let her penetrate.”
The Lady Eagles will host conference rival Newman University on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
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