The women’s basketball team beat Wayland Baptist (Texas) 80-78 Feb. 12 at the Hutcherson Center in a clash of top 25-ranked teams in NAIA Division I.
The Stars kept Wayland Baptist without a point in the final 1:22. Second-ranked Oklahoma City kept its win streak alive in moving to 18-1, 13-1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference, while 25th-ranked Wayland Baptist dipped to 14-9, 9-4 in the SAC.
Kara Partridge put Oklahoma City up 80-76 with a free throw at the 1:39 mark. Stephanie Afunugo cut Wayland Baptist’s deficit to 80-78 with a jumper with 1:22 remaining. Ouleymatou Coulibaly rebounded Iesha Greer’s layup miss with 38 seconds left as neither team scored in the final 1:22.
Coulibaly and Marisha Wallace stood tall for the Stars, winners of 18 consecutive games, with a double-double each. Coulibaly, a senior from Bamako, West Africa, posted 23 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Wallace, a senior from Midwest City, Okla., piled up season highs with 21 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.
Senior Rateska Brown recorded 15 points and three assists, while senior Janay Borum accumulated seven points, four rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.
OCU erased a 34-32 deficit with a 7-0 spurt. Brown sank a 3-pointer, then Coulibaly scored twice in the paint to give the Stars a 39-34 lead with 2:04 left in the first half.
In the second half, OCU opened the period by unleashing off a 15-2 rampage. Coulibaly and Wallace combined for 11 of those points. Coulibaly capped the run with a free throw to give the Stars a 59-42 margin with 15:13 remaining.
Wayland Baptist climbed back into the tilt as Laura Castillo’s free throws finished up an 8-0 run. The Flying Queens trailed 72-66 with 4:48 to go.
Coulibaly hit a jumper in the lane to put OCU on top 77-66 at the 4:26 mark, but Wayland responded by outscoring OCU 10-2. Jada Riley’s free throw sliced the Stars’ edge to 79-76 with 2:02 showing.
The Stars owned the advantage in bench points for the 15th consecutive contest. OCU’s advantage Feb. 12 added up to 37-1.
OCU meets 10th-ranked Oklahoma Baptist at 3 p.m. Feb. 14 in Shawnee, Okla.
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