Box Score WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Beating a rival is great, but clinching a postseason berth after beating a rival in front of a raucous home crowd is even better. The Lady Bulldogs did just that on Thursday night with an 83-72 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center, led by
Kimmi Sawatzky's sharpshooting 24 point effort.
Sawatzky poured in a season- and game-high 24 points on the night on 9-15 shooting. Six of her makes were from long range, including two that were at least five feet beyond the arc. She also grabbed five rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
Korina Chapman set the tone early with a 3-pointer off the dish by
Chelsea Bates inside the first 10 seconds. That sparked a 5-0 run over the first two minutes, and the Lady Dawgs found themselves up 16-5 with 14:04 left to play in the first half. SWOSU kept their foot on the gas, pushing their lead to as many as 18 points after a three point play by
Kassy Easter at the 7:10 mark. Southwestern closed out the half leading 47-31, with Chapman leading the charge with 10 points.
The Lady Bulldogs cruised through the opening portion of the second half, keeping a comfortable lead of 10 or more points through the first 10 minutes. However, NWOSU pulled within seven points with 9:21 left to play. At the 5:11 mark Northwestern reduced the lead to a single possession, trailing the Lady Dawgs 69-66. However, a pair of free throws by
Chelsea Bates sparked an 11-4 run to regain the lead.
Jade Jones hit a jumper with 18 seconds left to provide the exclamation mark and create the final score line.
"It was a great team effort to continue to finish this season on a roll," said head coach
Kelsi Musick at the big Lady Bulldog win. "Kimmi stepped up and gave us some big points which was good for her! The second half wasn't what we would have liked, but we answered when we needed to!"
Aside from Sawatzky, three other Lady Bulldogs scored in double figures: Bates, Chapman and
Morgan Vogt. Bates finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Chapman also had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Vogt poured in 10 points of her own, reaching double digits in scoring in back-to-back games for the first time in her young career.
The Lady Dawgs will return to action for a final home game against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday, Feb. 28 with a chance to lock up the sixth seed in the Great American Conference Tournament. The game is set for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
