The women’s basketball team, which is No. 1-ranked won against Our Lady of the Lake University 108-83 Friday at Abe Lemons Arena in a showdown of NAIA Division I women’s basketball teams ranked in the top 15.
Senior Yvonte Neal totaled 31 points, four 3-pointers and three assists for the Stars, now 1-1 on the season. No. 11-ranked Our Lady of the Lake University fell to 2-1.
Neal surpassed 30 points for the second time in her OCU career in 29 minutes of play. Neal scored 36 points in the Stars’ national championship-winning 80-76 victory over Freed-Hardeman University March 25.
Senior Rateska Brown picked up 22 points and four assists, while senior Ouleymatou Coulibaly contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Stars.
Junior Markeisha Johnson produced 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals, and senior Janay Borum rang up 10 points, 10 assists and five steals.
The Stars accumulated 25 assists on 37 field goals, and reached 100 points for the ninth time in 65 games under Coach Latricia Trammell.
“Yvonte needed that,” Trammell said. “It’s going to help her confidence. This year we have several scorers from the outside. When you’re used to being that leading scorer, it’s like you have to find ways to score. It’s good to see Rateska with 22. We had five in double figures, so they shared the basketball. I was proud of them about that. That’s what I’ve been preaching all week.”
The Stars piled up 52 points in the paint and took advantage of 20 Our Lady of the Lake University turnovers to score 31 points. OCU had a 33-22 rebounding advantage and scored 24 second-chance points.
OCU got rid of a 23-13 deficit. Trailing 28-18, the Stars embarked on a 14-0 run to seize the lead. Neal dropped in a transition bucket to tie the game 28-28. Coulibaly’s putback capped the blitz for a 32-28 The Stars had the edge with 6:32 left in the first period.
Neal provided OCU its largest advantage of the night. Neal’s breakaway lay-in gave the Stars a 92-64 lead with 6:55 remaining.
“We calmed down and started running our offense,” Trammell said. “Once we settled down and settled into our offense and started running it, it gave us more confidence, and we started playing more together.”
The Stars play against the University of the Cumberlands at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 in the Oklahoma Baptist Holiday Classic at Shawnee, Okla.
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