CHICKASHA, Okla. – In a matchup between two of the top teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference, the Mid-America Christian women's basketball team once again came up just short on the road as the Evangels fell 64-62 at Science & Arts inside the Drovers Fieldhouse on Saturday.
 
TOP PERFORMERS

• Lexi Hernandez – 16 Points, 6-13 FG, 3-7 3FG, 4 Reb, 2 Assists
• Ossyana Ozoani – 12 Points, 6-8 FG, 12 Reb, 3 Blocks, 3 Steals
• Presley Payahsape – 10 Points, 5-11 FG

GAME SUMMARY

• First Quarter
  • Mid-America Christian clamped down on the defensive end through the first three minutes, allowing just a single point before a pair of Presley Payahsape scores and an Ossyana Ozoani jumper gave the Evangels a 6-1 cushion with 7:19 left.
  • Two possessions later, USAO's Zaria Dorsey knocked down a three to start a 7-2 run as a Kaytlen Johnson jumper drew it even at 10-10 with 2:51 to go.
  • Both defenses were able to lock down over the final few minutes as a Lexi Hernandez three pushed the Evangels' edge back out to three before a pair of Lainey Morrow free throws with 28 seconds left trimmed it back down to one.
  • On the final possession, MACU effectively ran down the clock before Kaylee Hurst had a strong take to the basket, converting a right-handed layup just before the buzzer to end the quarter with a 15-12 advantage.
• Second Quarter
  • The Evangels offensively struggled mightily to start the second period as the Drovers went on a 9-0 run through the first 5:04. A three-pointer by Jordan Bloomfield with 7:35 left gave Science & Arts its first lead before a Johnson jumper pushed it out to four.
  • MACU was finally able to get on the board when Hernandez drew a foul and knocked down one of two free throw at the 4:56 mark.
  • Another hoop by Johnson gave the Drovers their largest lead of the half before Anna Kash and Bloomfield traded threes to bring it to 24-19 with 3:51 to go.
  • Hernandez started a 9-3 run with a jump-shot and a three before Ozoani gave the Evangels the lead back at 28-27 with an offensive rebound and put-back with 1:11 left.
  • Science & Arts went into the second half with the momentum as a three-pointer by Tori James with 38 seconds remaining gave the Drovers the 30-28 edge at the break.
• Third Quarter
  • Dorsey's free throw to start the second half pushed the USAO advantage out to three before Payahsape converted a tough layup to shrink it back down to a one-point game at 31-30 at the 8:28 mark.
  • The Drovers and Evangels traded blows over the next three minutes before Dorsey nailed another three at the top of the key to make it 38-34 USAO with 5:23 to go.
  • Science & Arts maintained its advantage over the next few minutes before a Kyleigh Leverich jumper followed by a Hernandez three on the ensuing possession pushed MACU back in-front 43-42 with 2:37 left.
  • Once again, the USAO defense was able to severely hamper the Evangels offensively down the stretch as the Drovers ended the period with a 5-1 run to hold a 48-44 edge after three.
• Fourth Quarter
  • Both offenses struggled to find a rhythm through the first two minutes before an Ozoani layup at the 8:00 mark started an offensive onslaught. The two teams scored on three consecutive possessions, but USAO got the better of it by going on a 4-0 surge behind a jumpshot from Johnson and a Dorsey layup with 5:18 left to bring it to 57-50.
  • Following a MACU timeout, Ozoani knocked down another jumper, but Bloomfield buried another three with 4:01 to go to give the Drovers their largest lead of the contest at 60-52.
  • On the following possession, Leverich drained a three from the top of the key before Ozoani picked off a pass at the top of the key and went coast-to-coast for the fastbreak layup to cut the deficit to 60-57 with 3:12 remaining.
  • A Johnson score briefly pushed the USAO edge back out to five before Hernandez knocked down a jumper with 57 seconds left to bring it back to a one-possession game at 62-59.
  • On the following possession, the Drovers were able to run the shot clock nearly all the way down before Dorsey buried a jumper to push it back out to five. USAO was able to prevent the Evangels from converting a quick score as MACU could only muster a three from the left corner by Sydney Wycoff with a second left to end it at 62-60.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian managed to outshoot the Drovers by converting 26-for-56 (46.4 percent) from the field and 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from three while USAO finished 26-for-66 (39.4 percent) and 7-for-26 (26.9 percent) from beyond the arc. The Drovers also held a slight edge from the foul line at 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) to just 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) for MACU.
• Second chance opportunities by USAO made the biggest difference as the Drovers won the rebounding battle 41-33 with 16 offensive rebounds to just eight for MACU. The Evangels also turned the ball over 16 times while Science & Arts committed just 12 miscues.
• Senior guard Lexi Hernandez notched her third straight game in double-figures as she led the way with 16 points on 6-for-13 shooting and went 3-for-7 from three. The Canyon, Texas product also finished with four rebounds and a pair of assists.
• Ossyana Ozoani continued to be a double-double machine for the Evangels by recording her third straight and her sixth of the season. Ozoani finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go with a game-high 12 boards with three blocks and three steals on the defensive end.
• Presley Payahsape was the only other Evangel to break into double-figures with 10 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
• Kyleigh Leverich finished with a team-high four assists and turned in seven points on 3-for-4 shooting to go with three boards.
• The series has been a tightly contested one for the last three seasons with the two teams trading the last four meetings. Neither team has been able to win by more than two scores as the largest margin of victory came in MACU's 79-74 victory in Chickasha on Jan. 26 last season. The Evangels had won the previous two meetings inside the Drovers Fieldhouse.
• With the loss, Mid-America Christian fell to 9-2 and 2-2 in Sooner Athletic Conference play while the Drovers improved to 7-2 and 3-1 against SAC foes.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will be looking to wrap up the 2021 portion of the season with win on Tuesday as the Evangels will head to Bethany, Okla. to take on crosstown rival Southwestern Christian. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. inside Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.