USAO’s Rally Comes Up Short on the Road at #18 MACU

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Thursday night, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (7-6, 5-4 SAC) fought hard but was ultimately dealt a 77-64 loss on the road at No. 18 ranked Mid-America Christian University (12-1, 8-1 SAC). 

MACU jumped out to an early lead and outscored USAO 19-15 in the first quarter. The Evangels opened the second quarter on an 8-1 run, prior to outscoring the Drovers 14-10 in the period and took a 33-25 advantage into halftime. 

Following the break, the Drovers began to turn things around and outscored the Evangels 17-16 in the third quarter, but MACU held a 49-42 advantage going into the fourth. USAO continued to rally in the fourth and trailed 60-57 with 4:16 to play in regulation. The Drovers continued to trail by three (67-64) with 1:15 to play, however the Evangels closed the game on a 10-0 run.

USAO's offense closed the game shooting 24-60 (.400) from the field, only 7-26 (.269) from beyond the arc, and 9-13 (.692) from the free-throw line. In comparison, MACU shot 21-53 (.396) from the field, 8-24 (.333) from deep, and 27-34 (.794) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers scored 26 points in the paint and hauled in 33 rebounds. In comparison, the Evangels scored 20 points in the paint and grabbed 39 rebounds. 

USAO committed 12 turnovers, which led to six points for MACU. Meanwhile, the Evangels fumbled the ball 14 times, resulting in 11 points for the Drovers.

USAO was whistled for 22 fouls, while MACU was called for 12 violations.

Evangelia Davlakou led the Drover offense with 18 points, four rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Anna Kassim also scored in double figures, tallying 12 points in addition to two rebounds and four assists. 

Franka Kraus recorded nine points and hauled in four rebounds, while Hannah Harris added seven points, ten rebounds, and three assists. 

Alexia Corrales scored six points and Madison Hays registered four points. Ashley Gonzalez scored three points, followed by Davielis Berroa and Devynn Harris with two points each. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will return to Brisco McPherson Court as they host a double-header against Oklahoma City University on Saturday, January 4. The women's game is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 PM CT, followed by the men's game at 3:45 PM CT inside Drover Fieldhouse. 

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