Women's Basketball 2/5/2013 9:08:00 PM

Top-ranked OCU squashes Mid-America Christian 87-53

Stars rise to co-No. 1 in national rankings with Freed-Hardeman

Katie Hall tallied 14 points, all in the second half, for the Stars on Tuesday.

Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University routed Mid-America Christian 87-53 on Tuesday at the Gaulke Activity Center.
Lauren Gober led the Stars with 18 points. OCU (19-2, 11-0 Sooner Athletic Conference) increased its winning streak to 18 games. The Stars were tied with Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) atop the latest NAIA Division I women's basketball rankings released Tuesday.
“That's great,” OCU coach Latricia Trammell said of her squad's perch in the ratings. “We'll take it.”
Gober, a senior from Newcastle, Okla., sank four 3-pointers to push her OCU career record total to 280 treys. Katie Hall, a senior from Hazelton, Idaho, added 14 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Stars.
Desiree Jeffries, a senior from Oklahoma City, produced 12 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Cara Pugh, a junior from Oklahoma City, notched her first double-double of the season and second of her OCU career with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
OCU amassed 23 steals for its most in league play this season. Gober, Jeffries and Kayla MacKenzie pocketed four thefts each. The Stars took advantage of 35 Mid-America Christian turnovers to score 22 points.
Mid-America Christian scuffled to 34.7 percent shooting from the field – 27.3 percent in the first half.
“That was one of our goals today to turn defense into offense,” Trammell said. “I thought we had good energy and competed well. One area I wasn't pleased with was rebounding, but that is correctable.”
The Stars scored the game's first eight points as Jeffries had four of them. Mid-America Christian missed its first six shots from the floor and had eight turnovers through the first 6:36 of the contest.
OCU pushed its advantage to 41-18 with Gober's layup at the 1:16 mark of the first period. Gober capped an 8-0 Stars splurge.
Mid-America Christian reeled off a 9-0 run to begin the second half. OCU responded with a 12-0 surge as Mid-America went scoreless for 5:55. Hall powered the Stars' run with eight points.
OCU's advantage grew to 35 points on two occasions. Pugh nailed free throws for an 82-47 OCU lead with 3:16 left, then Hall converted a 3-point play to push the Stars' margin to 85-50 at 2:24 to go.
All of Hall's points came in the second half.
“When she came back in, she contributed and did well,” Trammell said.
The Stars take on USAO at 6 p.m. Thursday in Chickasha, Okla.

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