Lady Bison Face Ranked Foe in Colorado Mesa

SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist kicks off their annual spring break trip to Colorado a little early when they face off against No. 16 Colorado Mesa on Friday, March 15 in Grand Junction. First draw is set for 5 p.m. Central.

This is OBU's first look at a nationally ranked opponent this season as the Lady Bison look to get back in the win column after dropping consecutive games for the first time this season.
 

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Oklahoma Baptist Women's Lacrosse Notes
Oklahoma Baptist (2-2, 0-1 RMAC) at #16 Colorado Mesa (4-1, 1-1 RMAC)
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS

• Colorado Mesa has enjoyed a strong start under new head coach Shanta Loecker, owning a 4-1 record that includes a win over then-No. 15 Grand Valley State
• The Mavericks are averaging 17 goals/game, led by Olivia Hayden's 21 goals. Marissa Leonardi and Mary Koch are second and third on the team with 12 and 11 goals, respectively
• Paige Elliot has been the one pulling the strings for CMU, assisting on 24 of the Mavericks' 85 goals this season
• CMU is allowing just nine goals/game this season. Lula Mitchell has seen action in four out of five games this season, and owns an 8.0 goals-against average and .451 save percentage
• While stingy on defense, the Mavericks have still given up 33 free-position shots through five games

 
THE SERIES

• A win on Friday would be OBU's first over the Mavericks in program history. The Lady Bison trail in the series, 3-0
• The Lady Bison have faced off with Colorado Mesa three times, with Friday's contest being the third time OBU has had to play CMU at altitude

 
OBU OUTLOOK

• Lauren McCormack is OBU's leading scorer with 14 goals, followed by Taylor Skomp with 10 and Devin Miller with nine. Overall, OBU is averaging 13 goals/game this season while converting on just under half their shots (49.5 percent)
• McCormack ranks second in the country in draw controls/game at an 11.5 clip. The Lady Bison average 15.3 draw controls/game as a team
• The Lady Bison pace the country in ground balls, averaging 32.5/game. Madison Gordon is one of three players leading the country with 6.0 ground balls/game, and one of two freshmen to currently own the top spot
• OBU is allowing 11.3 goals/game on 26.8 shots/game. Courtney Barnickle has played the majority of the minutes in goal, posting an 11.24 GAA and 46.4 save percentage along with 26 saves
• Converting on 58.3 percent of their free-position attempts, OBU ranks third in Division II in free-position percentage