OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University pounced on USAO 89-54 on Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena.
Donica Cosby, a senior from Coldwater, Miss., paced OCU with 18 points and six assists. The Stars, ranked second in NAIA Division I women's basketball, improved to 24-2, 19-2 in the Sooner Athletic Conference on senior night and Think Pink Night.
The Stars also held Think Pink Night to promote awareness of breast cancer. OCU's players wore pink shoelaces, pink socks and pink warmup shirts. Workman's mother, Christi Dyer, was introduced before the crowd – Dyer is undergoing treatments in recovering from breast cancer.
The Think Pink initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.
“It's nice to win on senior night and on Think Pink Night for our kids and for Chasity's mom,” OCU coach Rob Edmisson said. “It was a special night, and our kids were extra motivated. It was nice to get all our seniors in the same lineup.”
Desiree Jeffries, a sophomore from Oklahoma City, put together 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals for OCU, while K.J. Johnson, a senior from Portland, Ore., surpassed double figures in scoring for the first time this season with 11 points, three rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.
Workman, a senior from Carrollton, Texas, grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go with four points and three steals.
Workman's mother, Dyer, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September. She is currently undergoing her final round of chemotherapy before radiation treatments. To read more on Workman, click here.
“My mom is a great role model in my life," Workman said. "I look at my mom mostly to inspire me and motivate me. Her input on a lot of things just helps me get through my rough times. She's like my best friend."
USAO committed 35 turnovers, which OCU cashed in for 35 points. The Stars outscored USAO 50-30 in points in the paint.
OCU buried USAO under a 15-0 second-half run. Cosby and Jeffries chipped in four points each during the Stars' spree. Cosby had a layup to put OCU up 47-31 and start the run, and Emily Davis' transition bucket supplied OCU a 60-31 advantage with 12:34 remaining. USAO went scoreless for 6:07.
Davis' 3-pointer with 2:39 left provided OCU its largest lead at 83-48.
The Stars ended the first half on an 8-0 run. Taylor Booze's fastbreak layup started things with 4:29 left in the first, and Lauren Gober's putback at 34 seconds remaining capped the run and put OCU ahead 43-27.
OCU concludes the regular season with a 3 p.m. contest against 18th-ranked Southern Nazarene. The Stars hold a one-game lead over Southern Nazarene in the SAC standings in their bid for OCU's 12th conference championship.
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