ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Ouachita kept the Oklahoma Baptist (7-7, 3-5 GAC) women's basketball team in check on the offensive end and wound up winning 67-63 on Tuesday night in Great American Conference play at Vining Arena.
Kalifa Ford led the green and gold with 15 points, 15 rebounds and a half-dozen steals.
Mallory Lockhart added 14 points including hitting four 3-pointers while
Jaylin Stapleton added 13 points.
As a team, the Bison struggled, going 19-of-71 for a season-low 26.8 percent.
OBU put together a solid first stanza, hitting a trio of long balls while attaining a 22-16 lead.
Malou Savanna, Ford and Lockhart all hit from downtown as the Bison made 3-of-4 and hit 8-of-20 from the field.
OBU also had four offensive rebounds that resulted in a 9-0 second-chance points advantage.
Second-quarter action was much different, though. The Bison made just two of their 10 attempts and went 0-for-7 from deep. That allowed the host Tigers to get in front for the first time.
A 9-0 stretch by Ouachita to start the second allowed the hosts to take a 25-22 lead. The last of those points came at the 4:43 mark when Makayla Miller made a driving layup along the right side. By halftime, the Bison had gone back in front, 30-29, after two Lockhart free throws.
In the third, the score lead changed hands a few times. A Stapleton three at 5:43 pushed the green and gold's advantage to 39-34. A little over three minutes later, the NCAA's leading scorer, Aspen Thornton, hit a fast-break jumper to push Ouachita ahead 40-39. In the final minutes, the lead changed hands twice more before the hosts, took a 44-43 lead into the fourth.
Almost four minutes into the fourth, the Tigers had built a double-digit advantage. Two Thornton free throws at 6:36 brought the tally to 55-45. The Bison then reeled off seven straight. Two Lockhart three-balls and a
Madison Chambers layup moved the score to 57-55 at the 4:12 mark.
A few minutes later, Lockhart drilled another three, this time tying the game at 59. Unfortunately, the Bison could not get over the top after that. Two turnovers and two missed field goals followed, and Ouachita had buckets from Thornton and Nxerro Malux to go ahead for good.
Next on the schedule for the Bison is another road date, this time on Thursday against Southern Nazarene at 5:30 p.m.
