WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Tristan Gegg scored 36 points to lead the Pittsburg State Gorillas to a 62-53 victory over Oklahoma Baptist on Friday night at Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
Pitt State outscored the Bison by 14 in the second half (43-29) and overcame a halftime deficit to win its season opener.
Senior
Jaylin Stapleton led OBU with 17 points which included a 9-of-10 showing at the foul line and also notched five steals and eight rebounds. She was the only player to reach double figures for the green and gold.
Mallory Lockhart and
Kalifa Ford each chipped in with six points while Ford also grabbed eight boards.
There were 17 combined points in the first quarter, and the best either team shot was 30.7 percent. By the end of the stanza, the Gorillas led 10-7 as Gegg hit two free throws with 15 seconds left.
In the second, OBU was much better and took a lead into the halftime intermission. Trailing 14-10,
Kendall Parker sparked a 9-2 run with a three ball before Stapleton closed the stretch with a fast-break layup. The Bison then scored the final five points of the quarter with their final bucket delivered by
Kayla Highfill. At half, the green and gold led 24-19.
After the break, though, OBU's offense couldn't find the same rhythm as it did in the second quarter.
Over the final 20 minutes of action, the Bison hit nine of 31 shots (29%). For Pitt State, it used the three-point shot to go ahead. In fact, of the 14 made field goals the Gorillas hit, seven were from downtown.
Two of those three-pointers were delivered by Gegg near the end of the third. With five seconds left, Gegg pushed Pitt State ahead 36-33. That sparked the visitors from Kansas into the fourth.
Over a seven-plus minute stretch, Pitt State increased its lead to fourteen, 54-40, after another Gegg long ball at 2:39.
Tomorrow, Oklahoma Baptist will look to get into the win column as it plays again in Weatherford against Washburn University at 1 p.m.
