Lady Bison Lose Heartbreaker

January 22, 2007

Oklahoma Baptist committed its 14th turnover at the wrong time and missed a chance to tie the game late in a 72-68 loss to Southern Nazarene Monday in the Noble Complex.

SNU's Lana Keith intercepted an OBU inbound pass when the Lady Bison trailed 70-68 with nine seconds to play. Keith was fouled and hit two free throws to ice the game.

The Lady Bison shot 37 percent from the field in their third game since Thursday, while Southern Nazarene, who was snowed out on Saturday, seemed a little crisper and hit 51 percent from the field.

Rachel Heins, who scored her career 1,000th point in the first half, finished with a team-high 16 points, while Dilenny Castillo and Jennifer Jupin had 14 each and Betsy Simmons added 10.

Southern Nazarene scored the game's first six points, but OBU bounced back with seven straight on a run triggered by Lena Brenning.

SNU got back ahead by six before the Lady Bison scored five free throws in a 9-0 run to take a 20-17 lead.

The game, which saw eight first-half lead changes, see-sawed back to Southern Nazarene, but Heins went over the 1,000-point mark with a three-pointer with 1:16 left for a 29-28 lead.

Kinzie Glover canned an outrageously long three-pointer to give the lead back to SNU and Keith added a trey just before the halftime buzzer for a 34-29 SNU advantage.

OBU opened the second half with the first four points and then got a three-pointer by Castillo to knot the game at 36-36.

After SNU went ahead 40-36, the Lady Bison bounced back with a 7-0 run with five points from Simmons.

Keith goaled for SNU and OBU retaliated with a 5-0 run, capped by a three-pointer by Jupin for OBU's biggest lead, 55-49, with 11:07 to play.

SNU rattled off the next nine points for a 58-55 lead and kept the advantage until Tamara Whitley knocked down a three-pointer with 4:42 to play for a 64-62 lead.

The Crimson Storm went the last 6:30 without a field goal, but hit 10 free throws down the stretch.

Jupin hit a three for a 68-67 OBU lead with 1:24 to go, but Tejana Elmore hit two free throws to return the lead to the Storm.

OBU failed on its end of the court and fouled again with Ashley Jackson hitting one of two throws for a 70-68 lead.

Lady Bison freshman Jayme Glover just missed a three-pointer on OBU's last trip down the court. Castillo pulled down the rebound before having the ball slapped out of bounds.

Keith snagged the long inbound pass and drove down the court before being fouled and converting the two free throws to ice the game.

Now 9-6 overall and 3-3 in the SAC, the Lady Bison will play at St. Gregory's Thursday.