Women's Basketball 3/16/2012 1:51:00 PM

OCU bounces Westminster 76-47

Top-ranked Stars limit 15th-ranked Westminster to 30.4 percent shooting from field

Tiffany Goldwire scored 17 points while shooting 5-for-9 from the floor and 7-for-10 from the foul line Friday.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University drubbed Westminster (Utah) 76-47 on Friday at the Frankfort Convention Center in the NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament.
OCU took advantage of 28 Westminster turnovers. The Stars advanced to the tournament quarterfinals against Azusa Pacific (Calif.) at 1 p.m. CST Saturday.
Tiffany Goldwire, a senior from Oklahoma City, sparked OCU with 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Taylor Booze, a senior from Duncanville, Texas, produced 16 points, four assists and four steals, while Lauren Gober, a junior from Newcastle, Okla., contributed nine points and five rebounds for the Stars.
Westminster, ranked 15th, struggled to 27.3 percent shooting from the field in the first half and 30.4 percent in the game.
“We really turned up our defensive pressure in the second half,” OCU coach Rob Edmisson said. “That's normally what we play for 40 minutes.”
OCU increased its lead to 54-26 by outscoring Westminster 20-3 early in the second half. Booze boosted the Stars with six points during that stretch, including back-to-back buckets to ignite the run.
Gober's two treys in a row put OCU ahead 48-26 with 14:44 remaining in the game. Philicia Kelly's basket capped the run and gave the Stars a 54-26 advantage with 12:21 left.
Emily Davis nailed a 3 to supply OCU a 59-28 lead with 11:23 showing, and Cara Pugh scored to match that margin at 69-38 with 6:25 to go.
Booze and Gober keyed an OCU run that built a 19-9 lead at the 5:45 mark of the first half. Booze had consecutive baskets to start a 9-0 run, and Gober continued the onslaught with a 3. Dietra Caldwell added a bucket.
“We got shots easily early and didn't make them,” Edmisson said. “Every shot we took early was good, it was just quick and we didn't make them. You make those, and we blow it out really quick. That was the first time we've faced that kind of defense all year. As time went on, you could tell our kids got more comfortable with it.”
Boxscore

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