OKLAHOMA CITY ? Oklahoma City University defeated Southern Nazarene 87-51 on Saturday at Abe Lemons Arena for the Stars? ninth consecutive win.
Mariam Sy, a 6-foot-4 senior from Mali, West Africa, scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds and three steals. Alexandra Kotta chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
The Stars went to 14-2, 5-0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. OCU has won 10 in a row counting an exhibition with Redlands. The Stars have not lost since Nov. 27 against Montana-Western. SNU fell to 5-10, 1-4.
Kotta led the Stars bench, which scored 40 points.
?The strength of our team is starting to show,? OCU coach Rob Edmisson said. ?A lot of our runs have happened with our starters on the bench. I was pleased with our kids? ability to stay focused and intense.?
OCU stretched a three-point lead to 14 with an 11-0 run almost midway through the first half. Kotta started the run with a 3-pointer at the 14:31 mark. Kotta added another 3 to make the score 20-9. Sy finished the flurry with a free throw to give the Stars a 23-9 advantage with 12:03 left in the first.
Sy said the team has come together in time for conference season.
?We are playing better defense and taking better shots,? Sy said. ?We?re sharing the ball and playing unselfishly.?
OCU plays John Brown (Ark.) at 6 p.m. Thursday in Siloam Springs, Ark.