Monday, Dec. 16 was filled with excitement as the USAO women’s basketball team (7-5, 5-3 SAC) secured a win over the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Aggies (1-11, 1-8 SAC) (OPSU). This was an exciting win for the Drovers, as they played in front of over 200 students from Lincoln Elementary School in Chickasha.
Quarter one saw OPSU take an early lead due to poor shooting from USAO. The Drovers only made four shots in the first eight minutes. Sophomore Caroliena Diaz came off the bench to score five points as the team played on. At the end of the first quarter, USAO were trailing 12-10.
Once the second quarter began, a fire had been lit under USAO. The Drovers knew they had some ground to make up and did so by outscoring their opponent 21-6 before the clock sounded for halftime. This run put USAO ahead 31-18 going into halftime as the crowd of students roared in excitement.
At halftime, Diaz was leading the team in scoring with nine points and made all of her shot attempts. As for what changed after the first quarter, Diaz said it was her team’s ability to get stops defensively and turn their defense into offense.
“We had a slow start in the first quarter, but we were able to pick our energy up in the second quarter. We tightened up our defense and executed on offense,” said Diaz.
After the break, USAO played cohesively to keep its lead. Five different players scored in the third quarter, including three-pointers from junior Madison Crandall and junior Evangelia Davlakou. The Drovers held their lead as they finished the quarter and entered the final period leading 48-33.
As the final quarter went on, the Drover women continued to play positively, adding another 20 points to their total. Their scoring couldn’t be stopped as chants from the crowd of Lincoln Elementary students kept the energy high. As the final buzzer sounded, USAO had stretched their lead to 25, winning 68-43 over OPSU.
Diaz finished as the game’s leading scorer with 16 points while making all seven jump-shot attempts. Junior Hannah Harris scored 13 while securing eight rebounds while junior Evangelia Davlakou totaled 12 points along with two three-pointers made and two steals.
Friday’s win wasn’t just a treat for the students of Lincoln Elementary School, as Diaz says the Drover women were enthusiastic about the kids being able to make it.
“I loved all of the kids who were there supporting us. We loved how loud they were cheering and all of their amazing energy,” Diaz said.
The Drovers will be back on the court in the new year, playing away against Mid-America Christian University Jan. 2 at 6 p.m.
Matthew Yokum is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
