Drovers Overcome Slow Start in Road Victory at UNT Dallas

DALLAS, Texas – Saturday afternoon, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (6-2, 2-0 SAC) earned their third consecutive victory with a 69-53 victory on the road at University of North Texas Dallas (0-2, 0-2 SAC). With the win, the Drovers improve to 4-1 against the Trailblazers all-time, dating back to 2021.

The Drovers got off to a rough start to open the game and trailed 11-6 midway through the first quarter. After 10 minutes of action, USAO trailed 14-9 in the low scoring opening quarter.

The conference foes traded buckets in the second quarter, but UNTD was able to cling to a 30-26 lead at halftime.

Following the break, the Drovers went on a 10-0 run to claim their first lead of the game, and USAO went on to take a 45-39 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Drovers dominated the fourth quarter to close out the victory, outscoring the Trailblazers by a wide margin of 24-14 in the final 10 minutes of action.

Offensively, USAO shot 22-67 (.328) from the field and 7-28 (.250) from three-point range. UNTD went 20-52 (.385) from the field and 4-11 (.364) from deep. The Drovers were whistled for 13 fouls, while the Trailblazers committed 22 violations. USAO shot 18-26 (.692) from the free-throw line and UNTD went 9-10 (.900) from the charity stripe.

Another major key to victory was USAO's ability to dominate the glass, and the Drovers outrebounded the Trailblazers 46-33. The Drovers were especially impressive on the offensive end of the court, hauling in 23 offensive rebounds and converted those into 33 second chance points. 

 The Drover defense forced the Trailblazers into committing 23 turnovers, while turning the ball over 17 times themselves. 

Lainey Morrow once again led the Drovers and recorded her fourth double-double in seven games. Morrow concluded with 17 points and 17 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end of the court. So far this season, Morrow is averaging 20.7 points per game on 68.7 percent shooting from the field and 81.6 percent at the free-throw line, along with 7.3 rebounds per game. 

Diaka Berete led the team in scoring with 18 points, along with eight rebounds. Brayanna Polk added 14 points, four assists, and a pair of steals, followed by Trinitee Alexander with seven points, 10 rebounds, and a trio of blocks in 19 minutes off the bench.

Devynn Harris contributed six points, while Tonijah Fortune added five points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Crystal Ortiz scored two points and dished out an assist.

WHAT'S NEXT?

 The Drovers will return to the court on Saturday, December 9 as they play on the road at Southwestern Christian University. The women are scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 PM CT, followed by the men at 3:45 PM in Bethany, Okla.

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