USAO women’s basketball team (16-9, 12-7 SAC) looked to break John Brown University’s (JBU) (22-3, 19-0 SAC) 19 game win streak.
The Drovers looked like they were shot out of a cannon starting the first quarter, as junior forward Crystal Ortiz made a three pointer. Following this, junior guard Jordan Bloomfield was able to get the ball back and score a layup, putting USAO up five points within the first minute of action. However, the Golden Eagles would begin to match the Drovers as the first quarter went on. Both teams had their ups and downs against one another, which left them tied 16-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Once again, the beginning of the second quarter was another exciting start, but not in favor of USAO. In the first minute of the second quarter, JBU hit two three-point shots and recorded a block. Just before going into the halfway mark of the second quarter though, senior guard Toni Fortune became a difference maker for the team, scoring four points, earning an assist and a steal. The Golden Eagles took the lead going into halftime 37-30.
What hurt USAO the most in the first half of this game was their shooting inside the three-point line. The Drovers had a shooting percentage of 34.3% from the field compared to JBU’s 55.5%. The Golden Eagles also were more accurate on their three-point shots, making five out of their nine attempts, compared to the six for 17 from USAO.
Beginning the third quarter, junior guard Diaka Berete hit a three pointer for USAO and continued playing strong. Overall, for the quarter, she hit double digits with ten points and added five rebounds and an assist. Surprisingly, Berete and Fortune were the only Drovers to score in the third quarter, with Fortune putting up five points. Senior guard Bryanna Polk and Ortiz boosted the Drover defense as well, both recording a block against the Golden Eagles. USAO managed to make their deficit smaller, as they were down 49-45 at the end of the third quarter.
As the game looked like two heavyweight boxers matching each other’s blows for the first three quarters, that was no different in the fourth. The offenses came out stronger than the previous quarter, both putting up at least 20 points. Despite not being on the starting lineup, Fortune had another six points and two rebounds in the fourth quarter. Ortiz also scored six points in the fourth quarter, going two for two on three-point shots.
The offensive showing in the fourth quarter kept USAO in the game, with them being down by only one point with just 18 seconds remaining. Sadly, a foul from Fortune would allow JBU to make two free throws, putting them up 69-66 with six seconds left. Junior forward Trinitee Alexander made a last-ditch effort with a three-point shot, which did not make it in the basket. The Golden Eagles won in a close battle against USAO 69-66 and extended their win streak to 20 games.
The Drovers had more rebounds than JBU, as they had 37 compared to the 33 from their competitor. USAO didn’t keep up as well with the shooting percentage though, as the Drovers completed 38.3% from the field. The Golden Eagles had the higher percentage from the floor with 51.2%
Fortune took flight for the Drover offense as she put up 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Berete was flying right behind her as she had 19 points, eight rebounds, and an assist. Finally, Ortiz soared in all aspects of the game, scoring 15 points, five rebounds, four blocks, and two assists.
Even though they had a heartbreaking loss against the Golden Eagles, senior forward Lainey Morrow said she was proud of her team and their performance.
“I feel like we had a great game against a great team, sometimes that is just how things go,” Morrow said.
Although she wasn’t proud of her performance on the court, she said she is pushing that to the side and is focused on the next two key matchups they have against Oklahoma City University (OCU) and Langston University (LU).
USAO will hit the road for their next matchup as they will take on OCU Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.
Gary Jackson is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
