Women's Basketball 12/20/2013 5:36:00 PM

OCU falls short to Benedictine 81-74

Stars suffer first setback of season

Yvonte Neal posted 15 points, three rebounds and two assists Friday.

Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University closed its non-conference schedule with an 81-74 loss to Benedictine (Kan.) on Friday at Abe Lemons Arena in a matchup of top 15-ranked women's basketball teams in NAIA Division I.
The second-ranked Stars cut a 19-point deficit down to three points with 5:02 left in the game. OCU dropped to 4-1, while 15th-ranked Benedictine improved to 10-3.
OCU used a 10-0 run to slice Benedictine's lead down to four. Autumn Lau ignited the comeback with a putback that brought the Stars to within 12 at 60-48 with 7:49 to go.
Kayla MacKenzie scored in transition, then Albany Anderson sank a free throw. Yvonte Neal nailed a 3-pointer, then MacKenzie punctuated the splurge with a pair of free throws to close the Benedictine advantage to 60-56 with 5:14 remaining.
Neal dropped in a fastbreak layup to cut OCU's deficit to 61-58 at the 5:02 mark.
Rosie Youngstrom answered with a Benedictine trey. Youngstrom's free throws pushed Benedictine's lead to 70-60 with 2:32 left. In the final two minutes of the game, Benedictine increased its margin back into double digits twice.
Ouleymatou Coulibaly's free throw cut OCU's deficit to 77-71 with 19 seconds remaining. Neal sank a 3 that made the score 79-74 with 12 seconds left.
Benedictine had a 7-0 run sparked by Katie Barr's 3-pointer to generate its largest margin of the game. April Miller hit free throws that gave Benedictine a 55-36 lead with 11:27 left.
The Lady Ravens hit 11 of 21 3-pointers and built a 44-38 rebounding edge. Justice Payne had a team-high 15 points and five treys.
MacKenzie, a senior from Peoria, Ariz., tallied a season-high 19 points to go with four assists and three steals for the Stars. Neal, a junior from Spring Valley, Calif., supplied OCU with 15 points, three rebounds and three treys, while Lau, a senior from Mount Wolf, Pa., chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds and two steals. OCU managed 34.8 percent shooting from the field.
The Stars resume Sooner Athletic Conference play against Wayland Baptist (Texas) at 6 p.m. Jan. 2 at Abe Lemons Arena.

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