OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian women's basketball team struggled to match up with the size of No. 1 Oklahoma City as the Stars came into the Gaulke Activity Center and handed the Evangels an 88-51 defeat on Thursday night.
Held to a season-low in scoring, Mid-America Christian (18-9, 10-7 Sooner Athletic Conference) was limited to just 22.4 percent shooting and 7-for-34 (20.6 percent) from the three-point arc. The one bright spot in the Evangels game was the free throw shooting, as MACU knocked down 14-for-18 (77.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
No Evangel was able to break into double-figures scoring as Alliyah Endsley, Lexi Hernandez and Alexis Shannon each scored nine points apiece while Loralei Siliga and Jessica Fairley chipped in eight.
The MACU defense was locked in early, holding Oklahoma City (26-0, 17-0 SAC) to just two points through the first 3:15. A three-point play by Shannon and a layup by Siliga gave MACU the early 5-2 edge with 7:14 left in the first quarter.
However, the Stars quickly found their mojo, rattling off eight unanswered to take a 10-5 lead with 4:20 remaining.
An Ossyana Ozoani free throw with 3:44 to go temporarily stopped the bleeding, but OCU pulled away with a 10-1 run the rest of the way to take a 20-7 advantage into the second quarter.
The Evangels briefly closed the gap to nine after Fairley and Siliga combined to score seven points during a 7-3 run to make a 23-14 game with 8:07 to go.
The Stars answered right back with six unanswered of their own, building their lead to 29-14 with 6:21 until the halftime break.
The Oklahoma City advantage swelled to as much as 19 in the second quarter and took a 45-27 lead into locker room after OCU's Mallory Lockhart knocked down a three just before the buzzer.
The Evangels struggled against OCU's size in the first half, shooting just 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) from the field and 4-for-16 (25 percent) from beyond the arc, but converted 7-for-9 (77.8 percent) from the charity stripe. The Stars blocked six of MACU's shot attempts in the opening 20 minutes while shooting 19-for-34 (55.9 percent) and 6-for-14 (42.9 percent) from the three-point arc in their own right.
The game continued to get away from the Evangels in the third quarter as Oklahoma City outscored MACU 25-10 in the period as a buzzer-beating three-point play by OCU's Abby Selzer gave the Stars a 70-37 lead heading into the final quarter.
Early in the fourth period, the Stars built their largest lead through the first 2:37 as a 7-2 run made it a 77-39 game.
However, the Evangels fought back over the next four minutes by stringing together 14 unanswered to close the gap to 77-51. Hernandez and Fairley combined to score 11 of MACU's 14 points during the run as Hernandez's three-point bomb capped it at the 3:59 mark.
That would be the Evangels' last score of the game as OCU closed out with 11 unanswered to seal the 88-51 win.
Mid-America Christian's offensive struggles were only intensified in the second half, shooting just 7-for-36 (19.4 percent) and 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) from the three-point arc. Meanwhile, OCU's offensive efficiency increased, knocking down 17-for-26 (65.4 percent) from the field and 4-for-5 (80 percent) from the three-point arc.
Ozoani and Shannon led MACU's rebounding efforts with seven boards apiece while Rachel Tapps and Sydney Wycoff dished out a team-best three assists. Fairley provided a spark on the defensive end, notching a team-high three steals.
Despite suffering a loss, the Evangels still maintained the No. 4 spot in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings after Southwestern Christian fell at Science & Arts on Thursday night.
Mid-America Christian will look to get back on track on Saturday as the Evangels will head to Bethany, Okla. for a crucial SAC showdown with crosstown rival Southwestern Christian. Tip-off will be slated for 2 p.m. inside Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.
