Offense Stays Hot as #24 USAO Bests Bethany College

HILLSBORO, Kan. – Friday afternoon, the No. 24 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0 SAC) continued their hot start to the season with an 83-75 victory to open the Tabor College Classic against Bethany College (2-3, 0-0 KCAC). The Drovers and Swedes also met last season, and USAO came away with a 58-37 win.

On Friday, the Drovers got off to a terrific start and jumped out to a 15-6 lead midway through the opening quarter. After 10 minutes of action, USAO held a comfortable 24-15 advantage. 

The Drovers outscored the Swedes 14-12 in the second quarter and took a 38-27 lead into the break.

Following halftime, the Swedes continued to claw at the Drovers lead and cut their deficit to as few as seven, but USAO was able to close the quarter on an 8-4 run to take a 62-51 lead into the fourth. 

The Drovers knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to begin the fourth quarter and USAO commanded a 74-57 lead midway through. However, the Swedes once again cut into the deficit and only trailed by seven with 2:01 remaining in regulation. The Drovers were able to hold off the attack in the final minutes and clung to the victory.

Offensively, the Drovers outperformed the Swedes in almost every category. USAO shot 31-61 (.508) from the field and 10-21 (.476) from deep, while Bethany only went 27-62 (.435) from the field and 5-20 (.250) from beyond the arc.

Both teams hauled in 34 rebounds and both teams committed 22 turnovers. USAO was whistled for 20 fouls, while Bethany committed 23 violations.

One category that the Swedes did hold an advantage in was free-throws, going 16-20 (.800) from the charity stripe, while the Drovers went 11-16 (.688).

The USAO offense was led by Lainey Morrow's 23-point performance. Morrow shot 9-13 from the field and 5-7 at the free-throw line. 

Diaka Berete recorded her first double-double of the season as she finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. 

Jordan Bloomfield continued to be a sniper from deep, going 4-4 from three-point range and finished with 14 points. Through two games this season, Bloomfield is shooting 9-10 from beyond the arc and averaging 16.5 points per game.

Tonijah Fortune also concluded with 14 points on 5-9 shooting from the field, in addition to four rebounds. 

Brayanna Polk made an impact on both ends of the court as she contributed 10 points on 3-6 shooting from deep, along with four steals on defense. 

Trinitee Alexander added eight points, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks in 18 minutes off the bench. Alexia Corrales chipped in a pair of points, along with five rebounds and three steals. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will be back in action at the Tabor College Classic tomorrow (Nov. 11) as they take on Tabor College at 3:00 PM CT in Hillsboro, Kan. 

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