SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist women's basketball team took down Central Christian in the final game of 2019 at the Noble Complex by the score of 60-51 on Thursday evening.
The Bison shot 20 of 66 (30%) from the field on the night. OBU had 16 points off of Tiger turnovers and 14 off the bench.
Freshman
Kalifa Ford notched her third double-double on the season with a team-high 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Charissa Price poured in 12 points and
Ugochinyere Nwarie rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points on the night. Four Bison --
McKenzie Cooper,
Jaylin Stapleton,
Mikayla Shulanberger, and Ford -- all finished with two steals apiece.
In the first quarter, the Tigers took their first and only lead of the night, getting up by six to start the game. Stapleton opened up the offense for the Bison on a jump shot and then the Bison went on a 10-0 run to end the first quarter.
The Tigers broke the 10-point streak with a three-pointer in the third minute of the second to bring the score back to 10-9. The rest of the half was a back and forth affair; however, OBU never gave up the lead and held a 23-21 advantage going into halftime.
The Bison came out in the third firing, opening with a 9-0 run. Cooper led it off with a three-pointer and Nwarie had four of the nine points during the run. The Bison ended the third quarter with a 44-36 lead as they took control of the game.
In the final quarter, the Tigers were able to rally back and bring the contest to a one-possession game. OBU did not flinch and stopped the rally in its tracks and ended the contest with a nine-point win.
OBU will return to action in the new year with a Jan. 2 matchup with conference foe Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Tipoff for the Great American Conference contest is set for 5:30 p.m. The Bison will return home to the Noble Complex on Jan. 9 when they take on Harding at 5:30 p.m.
