Oklahoma City, Okla. - The Mid-America Christian Lady Evangels staved off a late rally by the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Drovers to hang on for a 62-59 victory in Sooner Athletic Conference action Thursday evening (Jan. 13) at the Gaulke Activity Center.
The Lady Evangels led by as many as 12 in the first half and held a 57-45 advantage at the 4:07 mark of the second half when the Drovers made their charge back.
Tiffany Jupin caught fire and nailed three consecutive treys that cut the lead to three with 2:15 remaining.
Buckets by Brittany Johnson and Marcy Robinson put the Lady Evangels up six when Aita Gueye hit two at the foul line to make it a 61-57 game with 58 seconds left.
Robinson then split a pair at the line before BerTabitha Bailey brought the Drovers to within three with seven seconds left.
Following a turnover, the Drovers had a chance to tie the game, but missed two treys in the finals seconds.
The Lady Evangels (8-7, 4-5 SAC) dominated defensively in the early going, holding the Drovers to only four points in the game's opening 11 minutes.
Robinson and Tranecia Smith combined for 10 points and the Lady Evangels hit five threes during that span to go up 20-4 at the 9:58 mark of the second half.
The lead was 27-10 when Victoria Russell hit consecutive field-goals to start an 8-2 run that brought the Drovers to within 10.
Robinson scored in the waning seconds of the half to give MACU a 30-18 lead at the break.
Robinson led the Lady Evangels with 17 points and a game-high six rebounds. Melissa Aguilar scored 12 and had a team-high four assists and four steals.
Jupin had a team-high 17 for the Drovers (6-9, 2-6 SAC) and hit 5-of-9 from three-point distance. Bailey and Korie Hargus each had 11, with Russell chipping in with 10.
The Lady Evangels will next play at No. 20-ranked Southern Nazarene in a challenging road matchup Saturday evening (Jan. 15) at 6 p.m. in Bethany, Okla.
