Women's Basketball 2/11/2012 3:56:00 PM

OCU rallies past Lubbock Christian 60-51

Top-ranked Stars avenge loss to seventh-ranked Lubbock Christian, give Edmisson 200th OCU win

Rob Edmisson owns a 200-31 record for an .866 winning percentage in seven seasons guiding OCU's women's basketball program.

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University prevailed 60-51 over Lubbock Christian (Texas) on Saturday at the Rip Griffin Center in a clash of top 10-ranked teams in NAIA Division I women's basketball.
Rob Edmisson notched his 200th victory as OCU coach. The Stars improved to 23-1, 17-1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference while halting seventh-ranked Lubbock Christian's 17-game win streak.
OCU avenged its only loss of the season, 88-66 to Lubbock Christian (19-4, 16-1 SAC) on Jan. 12 at Abe Lemons Arena. The Stars have reeled off nine consecutive wins and regained sole possession of first place in the SAC standings since that setback.
Edmisson now has a 200-31 record in his seventh season at the OCU helm. The two-time SAC coach of the year has directed the Stars to four conference regular-season championships, four league tournament titles, six NAIA Tournament appearances and two national semifinal finishes.
On Feb. 4, Edmisson recorded the 500th win of his 22-year coaching career, winning 63-52 over St. Gregory's at Abe Lemons Arena. Edmisson now has a 502-150 record guiding OCU, Hutchison (Kan.), Ellinwood High School (Kan.) and Fairfield High School (Kan.).
Tiffany Goldwire, a senior from Oklahoma City, served as OCU's ringleader Saturday with 14 points and four rebounds while shooting 7-for-8 from the field.
Dietra Caldwell, a senior from Missouri City, Texas, produced 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists while sinking two 3-pointers for the Stars. Desiree Jeffries, a junior from Oklahoma City, provided OCU 11 points and five rebounds while hitting all five of her shots from the floor.
OCU rallied by holding Lubbock Christian to 15 second-half points.
“We just stayed the course,” Edmisson said. “We defended really well in the second half. What a championship-type game. Both teams played really hard. It was a good win for us to come from behind in the first half.”
The Stars put together an 8-0 second-half run to seize the lead for good. OCU held Lubbock Christian scoreless for 7:37 during that run.
OCU took a 44-43 edge on Emily Davis' jumper with 14:41 left in the game to start the run. Cara Pugh followed with a pair of free throws, then Goldwire and Jeffries added layups. OCU led 50-43 at the 9:56 mark.
An 8-1 run gave OCU its largest lead of the game at 60-48 with 1:28 remaining in the contest. Philicia Kelly's free throws provided the Stars a 54-47 advantage with 4:30 left. Goldwire punctuated the run with a layup.
Lubbock Christian built an early 14-2 advantage. Kelsey Canavan's jumper gave Lubbock Christian a 12-point lead with 15:36 left in the first half.
The Stars climbed back into the game, cutting its deficit to 23-20 using a 9-2 run. Goldwire started the OCU spree with two layups. Caldwell nailed a 3, then Lauren Gober added a bucket with 8:13 remaining in the first.
OCU took its only lead of the first half after a 13-2 splurge. Jeffries' 3-point play put OCU ahead 35-34 with 34 seconds left in the first. Jeffries scored seven points in a row for the Stars, hitting a jumper, two lay-ins and a free throws.
The Stars meet Rogers State at 6 p.m. Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena.
Boxscore

Print Friendly Version