February 16, 2011
The Lady Bison got a big Sooner Athletic Conference win at Wayland Baptist Thursday, defeating the Flying Queens in overtime 70-67.
The Lady Bison led by 15 in the first half, but the Flying Queens slowly closed that gap in the second half.
With 49.3 seconds left in the second half Oklahoma Baptist led 61-60.
Samantha Smith scored two free throws shortly after to make the lead 63-60 with 29.7 left on the clock.
Then, Jessen Tucker hit Wayland Baptist’s only three-pointer of the game with 18.9 seconds left to tie the game and take it into overtime.
OBU took the lead at the beginning of overtime, holding the Flying Queens scoreless for the first two minutes.
After that, WBU never caught up. The Flying Queens shot just 1 for 8 in overtime.
Head Coach John McCullough commented on the win saying, “Anytime you can play two games on the road and come out with a win is good.
“The win versus WBU was something this team needed. It will surely help with our confidence.
Gabby and Sam really played exceptional against Wayland. These two seniors set a good example of how experienced players should play on the road.”
Smith had 26 points and nine rebounds and scored 22 of those points in the first half. Gabby Mattox followed on the leader board with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Kanisha Cooks and Bridget Reynolds had eight assists each.
The Lady Bison suffered a tough 64-53 loss just the next day against Lubbock Christian.
McCullough said, “The game versus LCU was also a good game for us. We didn’t shoot the ball well from the outside.
But, defensively we played well as a team. Gabby’s shoulder was very sore, she’s been dealing with a lot of discomfort in her shoulder all year, but she played very hard. We just didn’t have a good shooting game from the outside.”
The Lady Bison trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, but quickly closed the gap to 4 in the second half.
However, the Lady Bison weren’t shooting well or taking care of the ball. OBU converted 1 of 13 three-point attempts and made 22 turnovers.
“Turnovers have been our problem all year,” said McCullough, “we just need to value the ball better and execute for good shots.”
Sam Smith led the Lady Bison with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Gabby Mattox and Kanisha Cooks also stepped up with 11 points apiece.
OBU is now 9-16 overall and 7-10 in the SAC.
Coach McCullough is “...pleased with splitting the game in Texas. We just will continue to work hard in practice and improve on a daily basis.”
The Lady Bison will play Mid-America Christian Thursday at 6 p.m.
