SHAWNEE, Okla. ? Oklahoma City University used two runs midway through each half to put away Oklahoma Baptist 84-68 on Saturday afternoon in the Joe Cooper Ford of Shawnee Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament women?s semifinals at the Noble Complex.
OCU had a 9-0 run in the first half and a 14-1 run in the second. The Stars won their 24th consecutive game to raise their record to 29-2.
The Stars play Oklahoma Christian at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for the tournament championship in the Noble Complex.
?That?s one of the strengths of our team, its ability to go on runs,? OCU coach Rob Edmisson said. ?We?re in survive-and-advance mode. We?re not guaranteed more than just one game at a time.?
OCU beat Oklahoma Baptist for the third time this season, this time not coming down to the final possession as the previous two had. OCU beat OBU 68-67 at the earlier game at Noble Complex and 66-65 at Abe Lemons Arena.
?I was happy with our team?s toughness,? Edmisson said. ?I was pleased with our play. This is a hard place to play.?
Mariam Sy, the SAC player of the year, led OCU with 27 points, 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals. Sy hit 8 of 10 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line.
?She played hard every minute,? Edmisson said. ?She rebounded with authority. She?s been stealing the ball and getting easy baskets.
?It?s amazing that she got that many touches against OBU?s zone. Their philosophy had to be to take the ball away from her in the post.?
OCU turned a 24-22 lead into 33-22 with 7:13 remaining in the first half. Haley Workman sank a basket to cap the run. Fabiana Araujo, who scored 10 first-half points, nailed a 3-pointer to make it 31-22 with 9:09 left.
In the second half, OBU sliced OCU?s advantage to 58-53 with 10:35 remaining in the game on Lena Brenning?s 3-point shot. The Stars responded with a 14-1 spurt started by Chelsea Ledbetter?s 3-pointer and finished by Alexandra Kotta?s 3 at the 7:05 mark.
?I told our team we needed one more run on them,? Edmisson said. ?OBU?s a great team. We were able to take advantage of turnovers and get easy baskets. It allowed our team to be in more of a comfort zone.?