OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University bounced back from its first loss since Nov. 17 with an 80-51 thrashing over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday afternoon at Abe Lemons Arena.
Abby Selzer, a freshman from Thomas, Okla., led the Stars with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. OCU, ranked 10th in NAIA Division I women's basketball, improved to 14-2 overall and 7-1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Panhandle State fell to 8-6 on the year and 4-4 in SAC play.
"Any time you win by one it's a great day," OCU head coach Bo Overton said. "I really thought we bounced back good against this bunch. This is a scary team to play because they play so hard and shoot the ball so well. I think our length helped us today with getting out to their shooters a little earlier. They are a hard team to handle and this is a good win for us."
Panhandle State made the first two shots of the game before the Stars came back. Closing the first quarter on a 15-1 run over the final 6:30. Oklahoma City held the Aggies to just eight points in the first quarter.
Taylor LaCour, a senior from Georgetown, Texas,  fueled Oklahoma City with six points in the first period and continued her hot shooting in the second quarter, putting her team ahead 31-16 with 5:57 left in the half. The Stars headed into the break with a 46-31 lead and forced Panhandle State in seven turnovers in 20 minutes of action. OCU shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half and held the Aggies to just 32.3 percent shooting.
Oklahoma City continues with their strong defense holding Panhandle State to 27.0 percent shooting from the floor. OCU blocked 10 shots in the game for the second time this season, the Stars had a single-game record 14 blocks against Philander Smith, Ark. on Nov. 16, 2018.
OCU finished with a 47-36 advantage in the paint, with Selzer and LaCour providing a good portion of those points. LaCour supplied the Stars with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Taylor Sylvester, a junior from Chickasha, Okla., contributed six points, six rebounds, four blocks, three assists and a steal. Payton Taylor, a sophomore from Ada, Okla., stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, three assists, a steal, a rebound and a blocks in the win.
Oklahoma City is back in action at 6 p.m. Thursday for a matchup at Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Texas.