OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University rolled to a 76-58 win over Mid-America Christian to collect the Sooner Athletic Conference women's basketball regular-season championship Saturday at the Gaulke Activity Center.
Abby Selzer poured in 25 points for the Stars. OCU, ranked No. 10 in NAIA Division I, improved to 27-3, 20-2 in the SAC. The Stars will meet Panhandle State at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals at Abe Lemons Arena.
The remainder of the SAC Tournament will be March 1-2 at Abe Lemons Arena. OCU has won 19 SAC regular-season crowns and three of the last four SAC Tournament titles.
Oklahoma City started off slow against the Lady Evangels, missing seven of the first 10 shots through the first six minutes, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range. The Stars forced Mid-America Christian into tough shots, holding their opponent to just 35.3 percent from the field and 5-of-16 from 3-point range in the first half. OCU ended the first half on a 17-6 run, building a seven-point lead at the break.
Selzer, a freshman from Thomas, Okla., sparked the Stars on offense, going for 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first half. She carried that momentum into the second half and finished with a game-high 25 points, grabbed nine rebounds, blocking four shots and stealing two. In her last three contests, Selzer is averaging 21.0 points per game.
The Stars kept up the defensive intensity in the second half, holding Mid-America Christian to 27.6 percent from the field and 11-of-30 from beyond the arc for the game. The Evangels entered Saturday's contest as the fourth highest scoring team in the NAIA Division I, but were held to under 60 points for just the third time this season.
Mallory Lockhart, a freshman from Keller, Texas, added 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Lockhart connected on 4-of-10 shots beyond the arc for her 93rd made 3-pointer of the season. Also scoring in double figures was NaShyla Hammons with 10 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Payton Taylor finished the day with eight points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
The Stars held MACU's leading scorer Alexis Shannon to one point in the second half after she scored 12 points in the first half.
Oklahoma City outrebounded Mid-America Christian 56-29 and dominated inside the paint against the Lady Evangels outscoring MACU 34-12. The Stars got 28 second-chance points, while Mid-America Christian had two points in that category.
Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament
WOMEN
At campus sites
Tuesday's Games
Quarterfinals
Game 1: No. 5 Mid-America Christian (20-8) at No. 4 Southwestern Assemblies of God (20-10), 6 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 John Brown (17-12) at No. 3 USAO (20-10), 6 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Texas Wesleyan (14-16) at No. 2 Wayland Baptist (25-5), 6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 8 Panhandle State (14-14) at No. 1 Oklahoma City (27-3), 6 p.m.
At Abe Lemons Arena
Oklahoma City
Friday's Games
Semifinals
Times TBD
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 4
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3
Saturday, March 2
Championship
Game 7: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
Sooner Athletic Conference
Regular-season champions
WOMEN
1979-80—Oklahoma Baptist
1980-81—Oklahoma Christian
1981-82—Oklahoma Baptist
1982-83—*Oklahoma Baptist
1983-84—Oklahoma Christian
1984-85—*Oklahoma Christian
1985-86—Oklahoma Christian
1986-87—Oklahoma City
1987-88—Oklahoma Christian, Oklahoma City
1988-89—Southern Nazarene
1989-90—Southern Nazarene
1990-91—Oklahoma Christian, Southern Nazarene
1991-92—*Southern Nazarene
1992-93—Southern Nazarene
1993-94—*Southern Nazarene
1995-96—*Southern Nazarene
1996-97—Oklahoma Baptist, Southern Nazarene
1997-98—Phillips
1998-99—Southern Nazarene
1999-2000—Oklahoma City, Southern Nazarene
2000-01—Oklahoma City
2001-02—Oklahoma City
2002-03—*Oklahoma City
2003-04—Oklahoma City, Southern Nazarene
2004-05—Oklahoma City
2005-06—*Oklahoma City
2006-07—Lubbock Christian, Southern Nazarene
2007-08—Oklahoma City
2008-09—Oklahoma Baptist
2009-10—Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma City
2010-11—Oklahoma City
2011-12—Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma City
2012-13—*Oklahoma City
2013-14—Oklahoma City
2014-15—Oklahoma City
2015-16—Wayland Baptist
2016-17—Oklahoma City
2017-18—Oklahoma City, USAO
2018-19—Oklahoma City
*undefeated in regular-season SAC play
