LUBBOCK, Texas – Saturday night at the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock was one of the most highly-anticipated non-conference contests in NCAA Division II this season and the rematch of the 2019 National Championship game did not disappoint.
Unfortunately for the #20 Lady Bulldogs, they were on the short end of a 71-61 decision against #2/1 Lubbock Christian, who held SWOSU to 2-for-17 shooting in the fourth quarter to extend their long home winning streak which dates back to 2015.
SWOSU led for most of the first half and the teams were all tied up at 33 heading into the break before LCU took a 40-36 lead midway through the third. After both teams went scorelss for over two minutes, SWOSU got a pair of free throws from
Maddy North and a breakaway lay-in from
Lauren Ramey to tie the score at 40-all, which ignited the offense on both sides.
Makyra Tramble and
Taber Beer combined to hit four consecutive three-pointers for the Lady Bulldogs, who led 52-47 after three.
One thing that plagued the Lady Dawgs throughout the night was foul trouble, which showed its face early in the fourth as Beer fouled out on the first possession of the quarter. That was when LCU saw their opportunity and took seized control by hitting 7-of-13 field goal attempts in the fourth along with 10-of-14 free throws. Neither team was able to connect on a three-pointer in the fourth after combining for 14 through three quarters.
SWOSU was led by
Maddie Sperle, who hit 5-of-14 field goal attempts and 7-of-10 free throws to finish with 19 points while
Taber Beer had 12 points and four assists in just 23 minutes of action. Making her first career start in place of
Tyra Aska,
Makyra Tramble had a balanced line with 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals.
"Overall, I think we just missed too many free throws and had too long of a cold spell there at the end," Head Coach
Kelsi Musick said following the game. "When we were ahead, we were the ones controlling the pace and tempo of the game and over the last eight minutes I felt like they controlled it and that hurt us. Games like this prepare you for conference play, so we're gaining experience and I feel like this team's future is really bright."
The loss is the first of the year for the Lady Bulldogs, who are now 3-1 on the year heading into the start of Great American Conference play. SWOSU hosts East Central on Thursday night at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center for their home and conference opener.
