Women's Hoops Falls to SWOSU on Senior Day

SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist women's basketball team honored seniors Jaylin Stapleton, Charissa Price, and Jacie Engler, and then followed that by giving nationally-ranked Southwestern Oklahoma State all they could handle on Saturday afternoon inside the Noble Complex.

Eventually, the talented Bulldog team pulled away for an 85-71 victory, but the Bison battled all day long, staying within single digits into the second half.

The Bison shot 23 of 54 (43%) from the field and 8 of 20 (40%) from deep. OBU was also strong at the free throw line, going 17 of 20 (85%) on the night. The Bison turned it over 17 times, but did hold a 39-30 advantage in rebounds over the Bulldogs.

SWOSU shot 29 of 66 (44%) from the field, but was exceptional from deep, going 16 of 42 (38%), as well as 11 of 12 (92%) at the line. The Bulldogs protected the ball well, only turning it over eight times.

Both teams lit up the scoreboard in the early going as Kalifa Ford and Jaylin Stapleton scored the first six points as OBU trailed 7-6, but an 8-0 Bulldog run pushed them ahead 15-6 as the Bison cooled off midway through the first.

OBU got a 3-pointer from Kaylee Hurst and buckets from Stapleton and Jenni Beebe to cut it to four, but a three from SWOSU gave them a 20-13 lead at the end of the first.

OBU would find its offensive groove in the second quarter despite SWOSU still shooting very well. Stapleton began to heat up as she found open shots and knocked them down, while Ford paced the Bison's interior offense. 

Down 39-29 with two minutes to play, the Bison rattled off a 10-2 run behind five points from Stapleton and buckets from Ford and Melissa Southard to cut the deficit to 41-39 at the break.

The Bison got it back down to two again midway through the third quarter after the Bulldogs built the lead to seven, but SWOSU began to heat up again from behind the arc, using a 26-13 advantage in the third quarter to eventually put some distance thanks in part to four straight 3-pointers to close the third.

OBU battled in the fourth quarter, but could not piece together a run to threaten SWOSU's lead as the Bulldogs left Shawnee with an 85-71 win.

Stapleton scored 21 in the loss with three 3-pointers and a block, while Ford added 20 points, six boards, and two steals. Price scored seven with four rebounds while Andreja Peciuraite and Beebe each had five. 

Makyra Tramble led SWOSU with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Bethany Franks scored 15. Tabor Beer added 15 off the bench and Lauren Ramey pitched in 13.

OBU will enter the GAC Tournament as the No. 6 seed in the West and will head to Bethany on Monday night to take on rival Southern Nazarene with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside the Sawyer Center.