Oakland City, IN - Sophomore
Emilee Hope missed only one three point attempt in eight tries on her way to a team best 25 points as the Mighty Oaks women's basketball team overwhelmed the Flames of Welch College 105-73. After pulling ahead 27-16 at the end of the first quarter, OCU outscored the Flames in each frame on their way to their second win on the year, evening their record at 2-2.
Joining Hope in double-digit scoring was transfer
Jalaya Dowell, who made 8-10 shot attempts and 4-4 from the foul line on her way to 20 points, while hauling in a game high nine rebounds.
Marissa Austin added 14 counters, on 5-9 shooting, including 3-4 from long range, while
Taylor Dillard chipped in with 12 points to go with a team high seven assists. Freshman
Amaya Thomas also posted a dozen points, making 5-7 of her shots.
Abby Bragg led the Welch College attack, scoring a game high 28 points, on 10-16 shooting, including 8-11 from beyond the arc. Macey Bowman added 18 counters and a game high eight assists, while Emma Wall scored 13. Madison Carnes also reached double figures, scoring 10 counters in the loss.
As a team, OCU made 42-78 (53.8%) of their field goal tries, including a blistering 11-15 (73.3%) from three point range. Welch connected on 26-62 (41.9%) of their shots, going 9-23 (39.1%) from beyond the arc. The Oaks made 10-14 (71.4%) from the free throw line, while the Flames made a near perfect 12-13 (92.3%) of their foul line attempts.
OCU held a 48-25 rebounding advantage over the smaller Welch College team, including a 19-8 lead on the offensive glass. The Oaks handed out 36 assists in the game, double the amount by the Flames, while edging out their opponents 20-22 in turnovers. Both teams had eight blocked shots, while Oakland City picked up 14 steals, four more than the visiting Flames.
The Mighty Oaks will return to action tomorrow, as they host the Eagles of Midway University in a River States Conference matchup in the Johnson Center. Tipoff is scheduled to follow the 1:00 men's game, also between the Oaks and the Eagles.
