WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Lauren Gober missed a 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired to give Central Oklahoma a 56-53 victory over Oklahoma City University on Saturday in the Southwestern Classic at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse.
The Stars, ranked eighth in NAIA Division I women's basketball, shot just 37.9 percent from the field for the game and committed 20 turnovers to drop to 4-1 on the season.
Gober, a freshman from Newcastle, Okla., scored a season-high 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting to lead OCU.
Starr Fairbanks, a junior from Cincinnati, was the only other player in double figures for OCU with 11 points.
Central Oklahoma missed the front end of a one-and-one with 13.8 seconds left to give the Stars a chance to tie the game in regulation. OCU struggled to get a good look at the basket. Gober's last-second attempt failed to draw iron.
The Stars used a 9-2 run in the final four minutes to cut into a 54-44 lead by UCO. Gober hit a 3-pointer to start the run at the 3:10 mark. Fairbanks added a layup with 2:48 to play to cut the lead to five.
After a missed shot by UCO, Holly Hardin put back her own miss on the other end with 1:52 left to make the score 54-51 in favor of Central Oklahoma.
Trailing 56-51, OCU got a layup from Laura Duncan with 23 seconds remaining to cut the lead to three points. 
Central Oklahoma opened the second half with an 18-6 run to take a 47-34 lead with 9:49 left in the game.
Gober scored seven points as OCU went on a 12-4 run late in the first half to take a 26-24 lead with 2:55 to play before intermission. OCU trailed 29-28 at the break.
The Stars will open Sooner Athletic Conference play at No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist at 6 p.m. Dec. 3 in Shawnee, Okla.
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