Women's Basketball 11/21/2014 10:22:00 PM

Stars roll past Our Lady of the Lake 108-83

OCU hit 100 points for ninth time in three seasons under Trammell

Yvonte Neal recorded her second 30-point game as a Star.

Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University posted the 108-83 romp past Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Friday at Abe Lemons Arena in a showdown of NAIA Division I women's basketball teams ranked in the top 15.
Yvonte Neal, a senior from Spring Valley, Calif., totaled 31 points, four 3-pointers and three assists for the Stars, now 1-1 on the season. No. 11-ranked Our Lady of the Lake fell to 2-1.
Neal surpassed 30 points for the second time in her OCU career in 29 minutes of play. Neal poured in 36 points in the Stars' national championship-winning 80-76 victory over Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) on March 25.
Rateska Brown, a senior from Alvin, S.C., picked up 22 points and four assists, while Ouleymatou Coulibaly, a senior from Bamako, Mali, West Africa, contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Stars.
OCU's Markeisha Johnson, a junior from Mansura, La., produced 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Janay Borum, a senior from Upper Marlboro, Md., rang up 10 points, 10 assists and five steals.
Oklahoma City accumulated 25 assists on 37 field goals. The Stars reached 100 points for the ninth time in 65 games under Trammell.
"Yvonte needed that," OCU coach Latricia Trammell said. "It's going to help her confidence. This year we have several scorers from the outside. When you're used to being that leading scorer, it's like you have to find ways to score. It's good to see Rateska with 22. We had five in double figures, so they shared the basketball. I was proud of them about that. That's what I've been preaching all week."
The Stars piled up 52 points in the paint and took advantage of 20 Our Lady of the Lake turnovers to score 31 points. OCU had a 33-22 rebounding advantage and scored 24 second-chance points.
Oklahoma City erased a 23-13 deficit. Trailing 28-18, the Stars embarked on a 14-0 run to seize the lead. Neal dropped in a transition bucket to tie the game 28-28. Coulibaly's putback capped the blitz for a 32-28 OCU edge with 6:32 left in the first period.
Neal provided OCU its largest advantage of the night. Neal's breakaway lay-in gave the Stars a 92-64 lead with 6:55 remaining.
"We calmed down and started running our offense," Trammell said. "Once we settled down and settled into our offense and started running it, it gave us more confidence, and we started playing more together."
Oklahoma City faces Cumberlands (Ky.) at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 in the Oklahoma Baptist Holiday Classic at Shawnee, Okla.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Ouleymatou Coulibaly: C; 6' 2"; Senior

#23 Markeisha Johnson: F; 5' 8"; Junior

#22 Yvonte Neal: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#3 Rateska Brown: G; 5' 6"; Senior

#11 Janay Borum: G; 5' 2"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#21 Ouleymatou Coulibaly
: 6' 2"; Senior
: C

#23 Markeisha Johnson
: 5' 8"; Junior
: F

#22 Yvonte Neal
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#3 Rateska Brown
: 5' 6"; Senior
: G

#11 Janay Borum
: 5' 2"; Senior
: G