SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist got double-doubles from
Kalifa Ford and
Andreja Peciuraite as it defeated Northeastern State 74-60 on Saturday at Noble Complex.
A strong fourth quarter paired with a good finish in the second, led the green and gold to boost its record to 1-2. Ford went for 18 points and 11 rebounds while Peciuraite came off the bench to contribute 19 points and 10 rebounds. Additionally,
Mallory Lockhart scored 10 including a 4-for-4 mark at the charity stripe.
In the first, each team hit 46 percent but Northeastern drained two 3-pointers to help it attain a 19-14 advantage going into the second stanza.
The visitor's lead then got up to eight, 30-22, after two free throws from Maleeah Langstaff. Those points came with 5:29 on the clock. Over the remainder of the quarter, it was all Bison.
OBU scored 14 unanswered with Lockhart providing a pair of threes. Additionally,
Jaylin Stapleton,
Jill Leslie and Ford all scored. On the other end, Northeastern missed all five of its shots and committed two turnovers. At the break, the Bison led 36-30.
After halftime, the Bison extended their advantage to as many as 11. That came with less than three minutes to go when Ford scored a jumper to make it 48-37. Despite the double-digit deficit, the RiverHawks responded to bring the tally to 50-47. Morgan Lee registered five points near the end to get the visitors back in it.
The good shooting at the end of the third for Northeastern did not translate into the fourth, though. It hit just three of 11 shots (27.2%) in the fourth. On the other side, OBU connected on 60 percent of its shots.
A little over 3:30 minutes into the quarter,
Payton Taylor drained a three to extend the home team's lead 61-49. Later, Peciuraite scored a fast-break layup to bring the tally to 69-56. Furthermore, freshman
Kendall Parker gave OBU its biggest advantage, 72-57, with a jumper at 1:31.
Next on the schedule for the Bison will be another home game. This one comes on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. against Midwestern State.
