Tuesday evening, the No. 7 seeded University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (23-7, 17-5 SAC) suffered a 77-67 loss in the first round of the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship against Mayville State University (24-5, 12-2 NSAA).
The Drovers got off to a good start and jumped out to an early lead, but the Comets bounced back to take an 8-6 lead midway through the first quarter. After 10 minutes of action, Mayville State held a narrow 12-10 lead.
The Comets continued to add to their lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter and held a 21-15 lead with five minutes to play in the half. Mayville State went on to take a 31-23 lead going into the break, outscoring the Science & Arts by a margin of 19-13 in the second quarter.
Following halftime, the Drovers came out on a mission and took a 39-37 lead with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter. However, the Comets responded with a 19-6 run and took a 56-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Drovers gave it all they had in the fourth quarter, but came up short in the end.
At the conclusion of the contest, the Drovers only shot 25-73 (.342) from the field, and 7-25 (.280) from three-point range. In comparison, the Comets went 24-45 (.533) from the field, and 7-22 (.318) from deep.
USAO held a narrow 37-36 advantage in the rebounding battle, but MSU outscored the Drovers in the paint by a margin of 32-18. Mayville was able to force the Science & Arts into committing 13 turnovers, and fumbled the ball 21 times themselves.
Furthermore, Science & Arts was whistled for 21 fouls, while Mayville was only called for 10 infractions. USAO went 10-13 (.769) from the free-throw line, and the Comets converted on 22-29 (.759) from the charity stripe.
In the final game of her collegiate career, Zaria Dorsey left a lasting impression with 22 points and eight rebounds. The two-time All-American shot an impressive 9-18 from the field and concludes her historic career with 1,098 points.
Brayanna Polk and Tonijah Fortune each finished with 10 points. Polk added four assists and two steals, while Fortune collected five rebounds and a pair of steals.
Trinitee Alexander contributed eight points and five rebounds, followed by Jessica Palmer with six points and four rebounds. Lainey Morrow scored four points and Jordan Bloomfield added three points. Diaka Berete and Tahlia Sloan-Casey each scored a pair of points.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Drovers will now prepare for the 2023-24 season. To all of those involved with the women’s basketball team, congrats on a historic season!
Original source can be found here
