OKLAHOMA CITY – OCU continued to cruise through its schedule unbeaten they drubbed Oklahoma Christian 94-55 in the Backyard Brawl on Saturday night at Abe Lemons Arena.
The Stars, ranked second in NAIA Division I women’s basketball, advanced their record to 13-0, 8-0 in Sooner Athletic Conference play while Oklahoma Christian dropped to 8-8, 2-6 on the season.
OCU was led by the sharp-shooting hand of Starr Fairbanks, a senior from Cincinnati. Fairbanks put in game-highs of 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting while scooping up eight rebounds for the Stars. Donica Cosby, Lauren Gober and Desiree Jeffries joined Fairbanks in double-digit scoring in the well-balanced offensive attack. For the second consecutive contest, all 12 OCU players put points on the board and each had at least one rebound as well.
Cosby, a senior from Coldwater, Miss., had 13 points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists for the Stars. She also came away with a block and a steal in the win. Gober, a sophomore from Newcastle, Okla., chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and a steal for OCU. Jeffries added 12 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks in the game.
“I thought Oklahoma Christian did a good job first half of keeping the game kind of slow, and then we found a way in the second half to get it sped up,” OCU coach Rob Edmisson said. “I’m really pleased with our kids coming off the John Brown (Ark.) game and giving up the 21-point lead that we’ve now found a way to take 15, 18 point leads in the second half and push it, double it.”
OCU took a 44-43 lead into halftime and the Lady Eagles came out strong in the second half to whittle the Stars’ advantage to 44-41 with 18:45 to play. A Fairbanks layup ended Oklahoma Christian’s 7-0 run and it was smooth sailing from there. OCU answered with a 13-2 run to extend the lead to 57-43. The Lady Eagles were 0-for-6 from the field during the 3:29 spurt for the Stars. OCU closed the game with a 20-2 run that saw Oklahoma Christian muster but one basket in the final 8:35 of the game.
We’re at a point right now where we’re getting really close where I look at you and I can tell who plays, who starts, how many minutes you’re playing, who’s scoring – you’re just happy for your team,” Edmisson said. “We’re getting really close to being that kind of team.”
The OCU defense held the Lady Eagles to 33.9 percent shooting from the field and forced 27 turnovers, which the Stars converted those into 37 points. The Stars outscored Oklahoma Christian 42-8 in the paint, outrebounded the Lady Eagles 45-27 and shot 52.9 percent from the field in the win.
The Stars play cross-town foe Southern Nazarene on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Abe Lemons Arena.
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