Thursday evening, the No. 19 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (17-2, 10-2 SAC) bounced back from their second loss of the season, with a hard-fought 68-63 victory against John Brown University (11-7, 5-7 SAC). With the win, the Drovers hold a 21-16 advantage in the all-time series against the Golden Eagles. Furthermore, USAO has won nine of the last ten matchups against JBU, dating back to Feb. 16, 2019.
Both teams got off to good starts on offense, but after seven minutes of play, JBU held a 15-12 lead, as they went 5-for-7 from three-point range early on. JBU led by as many as seven in the opening quarter and took a 21-19 lead into the second.
The Drovers picked up the pace in the second quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles by a margin of 22-14, allowing USAO to hold a 41-35 lead after 20 minutes of action.
Following halftime, the Golden Eagles kept trying to claw their way to the lead, but the Drovers were able to withstand their attack, and took a slim 53-49 lead into the fourth quarter. During the final 10 minutes of action, JBU seemed to always have a response for a USAO bucket, but the Drovers were able to hold off the Golden Eagles to claim victory for the 17th time this season.
At the conclusion of the game, the Drovers shot 25-58 (.431) from the field, and 6-21 (.286) from three-point range. In comparison, the Golden Eagles went 21-59 (.356) from the field, and only 10-26 (.385) from deep.
USAO’s defense forced JBU to commit 20 turnovers, 13 of which came off steals. The Golden Eagles held a 47-37 advantage in the rebounding battle.
Furthermore, Science & Arts was whistled for 13 fouls, while JBU was called for 16 infractions. USAO struggled at the free-throw line, going 12-24 (.500), and the Golden Eagles went 11-12 (.917).
Four different Drovers scored at least 13 points in the win, led by Brayanna Polk (SO/Del City, OK)’s 20 points. Polk also contributed four rebounds, four assists, and five steals.
Lainey Morrow (SO/Bridge Creek, OK) delivered a strong performance, tallying 16 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. Morrow also hauled in nine rebounds, and she stole the ball twice.
Diaka Berete (SO/Toronto, Canada) concluded with 15 points on 5-7 shooting, and she also hauled in four rebounds. Trinitee Alexander (SO/Everman, TX) provided 13 points and three steals in 26 minutes of action off the bench.
Zaria Dorsey (SR/Bronx, NY) closed with four points, six rebounds, and a pair of blocks.
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