BETHANY, Okla. – Oklahoma City University overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Southern Nazarene 66-62 in a matchup of top-15 ranked teams in NAIA women's basketball on Saturday at the Sawyer Center.
Chontaye Walter, a junior from Oklahoma City, led OCU with 14 points and four assists. The Stars, ranked seventh in NAIA Division I, improved to 19-2, 11-2 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Walter sank four crucial 3-pointers, going 4-for-5 from behind the arc. Walter also had seven rebounds.
Walter hit her third trey of the game at 17:25 in the second half, bringing the Stars within one, 34-33, and her fourth 3-pointer at 7:20, giving the Stars a 54-53 advantage.
OCU went into halftime trailing 34-28 after Southern Nazarene built 11-0, 17-2 and 23-6 advantages early.
“Our kids showed a lot of character tonight,” said OCU coach Rob Edmisson. “They were able to work their way back into the game and gave themselves the opportunity for the win after being down by 17 in the first half.”
The Stars saw their first lead of the game with 11:52 remaining in the second half with a 44-43 advantage. Brett Bates put back a layup off a missed 3-point attempt by Laura Duncan.
Chelsea Ledbetter, a senior from Norman, Okla., followed Walter adding 13 points and nine rebounds to the effort. Ledbetter sank a 3-pointer with 1:36 left in the first half cutting Southern Nazarene's lead to five, 30-25, the smallest margin of the first half.
Coming off the bench, Atta Diabate, a senior from Mali, West Africa, sparked the Stars with 10 points. Breezy Martin, a junior from Oklahoma City, sank 10 as well, rounding out the Stars' double-digit contributors.
Walter sparked the Stars' run down the stretch grabbing a steal and handing it off to Diabate in the paint, giving the Stars a three-point advantage 56-53 with 7:17 to play. Walter passed out another assist to Ledbetter, who sank her second 3-pointer with 2:35 remaining, pushing the Stars' lead to four, 62-58.
“Chelsea Ledbetter and Chontaye Walter hit some crucial shots for us down the stretch,” said Edmisson. “Atta also came off the bench playing very tough and gave us some great opportunities.”
The Stars defense posted 47 rebounds to the Storm's 34 as well as forcing 17 turnovers in the matchup. Holly Hardin, a junior from Chickasha, Okla., grabbed 10 rebounds for the Stars as well as five of the team's nine steals.
The Stars kept their lead at the end of the second half from behind the free-throw line, as Duncan, Hardin and Walter all added free throws late in the game. OCU sank 21 of 33 free throws in the game.
No. 14 SNU (17-4, 10-3 SAC) held the Stars to 25 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from behind the arc in the first half. In the second half, the Stars shooting improved to 44.8 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from behind the 3-point line, putting them at 35.8 percent from the field on the game.
The Stars will take on Lubbock Christian at 6 p.m. Thursday in Lubbock, Texas.
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