Morrow and Berete Record Double-Doubles as USAO Outlasts OCU

CHICKASHA, Okla. – Thursday evening, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (11-5, 7-3 SAC) used a gritty effort to earn a 76-71 victory against Oklahoma City University (5-11, 4-6 SAC). With the win, the Drovers have emerged victorious each of the last five meetings against the Stars, and USAO improves to 6-30 against OCU in the all-time series, which dates back to January of 2006.

The victory moves USAO into sole-possession of fourth-place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings, only 3.0 games back of John Brown University at the top, whom the Drovers will attempt to claim a game off of on Saturday.  

The Drovers opened Thursday's contest on a terrific run a possessed a 19-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, OCU began to cut into the lead and outscored USAO by a margin of 18-13. The Drovers took a 32-26 lead into the break against a short-handed Stars team.

Following halftime, the Stars continued to outplay the Drovers, outscoring USAO 27-20 in the third quarter to take a one-point lead into the fourth (53-52). The lead was exchanged four times in the final 12 minutes of the game, but USAO managed to outscore OCU 24-18 in the final 10 minutes of the important victory. 

USAO's offense wasn't particularly sharp in the win, but they knocked down shots when they needed them the most. USAO closed the game shooting 29-70 (.414) from the field, 6-15 (.400) from beyond the arc, and 12-19 (.632) from the free-throw line. In comparison, OCU shot 27-62 (.435) from the field, 4-13 (.308) from deep, and a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers outrebounded the Stars by a wide margin of 44-33 and dominated the paint, outscoring the Stars 42-28 down low.

USAO committed 13 turnovers, which led to 15 points for the Stars. Meanwhile, OCU fumbled the ball 15 times, but only resulted in seven points for USAO. The Drovers and Stars were each whistled for 13 fouls. 

 The Drovers were led by a pair of double-double performances from Lainey Morrow and Diaka Berete. Morrow produced 22 points and 14 rebounds to record her eighth double-double, while Berete concluded with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Additionally, Morrow tallied a pair of steals and a pair of blocks on defense, while Berete added four assists and a pair of steals. Morrow has now scored 983 points in her career and inched closer to becoming the seventh member of the program's 1000-point club.

Brayanna Polk contributed 12 points and a trio of steals, followed by Jordan Bloomfield with 10 points and a pair of steals. Crystal Ortiz and Tonijah Fortune each finished with five points, followed by Devynn Harris with three and Trinitee Alexander with two. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will return to action on Saturday, January 20 for a double-header on the road at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. The women's game is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 PM CT, followed by the men's game at 3:45 PM. 

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