Oakland City, IN - After opening the season with eleven losses, the Lady Oaks were ready to get themselves into the win column. With a pair of close games in their previous three outings, it was only a matter of time before the young OCU squad would break through. After pulling away early, OCU held a 24-4 advantage at the end of the opening period against the also winless Brescia University Bearcats, it looked like there would be no doubt as to the outcome. However, BU fought back to trail 31-27 at the halftime break. OCU was up to the challenge in the second half, winning by the eventual final score of 72-59, ending the game on a 15-3 run, giving first-year head coach
FahKara Malone her first collegiate victory.
Tabby Klem came off the bench for the Oaks to post 21 points while hauling in 11 rebounds, both game highs.
Reanne Kietlinski added 16 counters, while
Emilee Hope chipped in with 10.
Taylor Dillard tallied six points while handing out a game-best eight assists, while
Rashida Cheddick added six points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots.
Courtney Peyton was the only Brescia player to score in double figures, putting up 10 counters, followed by Paige Vanzant and Angel Jeffries, who each scored nine. Peyton joined Cassidy Moss to haul in a team-high seven missed shots each.
As a team, OCU made 25-64 (39.1%) of their shot attempts, including 11-33 (33.3%) from beyond the arc. Brescia connected on 22-71 (31.0%) of their field goal tries, going 6-23 (26.1%) from three point range. The Oaks went 11-15 (73.3) from the foul line, compared to 9-14 (64.3%) for the visiting Bearcats.
The Oaks grabbed 55 rebounds, while Brescia hauled in 41, with OCU holding a slim 18-16 edge on the offensive glass. The Lady Oaks had 15 assists and 21 turnovers in the contest, while the Bearcats had 13 of each.
Next up for the Lady Oaks is a road contest at Asbury University, scheduled for Tuesday, January 19, with tip off set for 4:30 pm.
