In Springfield on Friday evening, the OKWU Lady Eagles basketball team found themselves in the midst of a close ball game. Despite trailing at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Eagles dug in an went into halftime with a lead. A competitive second half saw OKWU come away with a 75-70 victory to open the season 1-0.

Recap:

• Evangel led 22-16 at the end of the first quarter. As a team, Evangel shot nearly 63% in the opening quarter, a hot start that gave them the early edge.
• OKWU's defense rallied in the second quarter, holding Evangel to 21% shooting. Meanwhile the Lady Eagles offense found a rhythm and scored 21 points to give themselves a 38-33 lead going into halftime.
• Both teams cooled off in the third quarter, with neither team shooting over 40%. OKWU forced Evangel into 7 turnovers in the period to hold the lead.
• In the final frame, Evangel's rally fell short and the Lady Eagles earned a season opening victory.

Now the Numbers:

• The Lady Eagles were on fire from beyond the arc, shooting an impressive 38.1% on the evening.
• MaKayla Watkins was the standout performer, scoring 23 points on 8 of 11 shooting including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc.
• Evangel committed 23 turnovers that led to 29 points off turnovers for the Lady Eagles.
• The OKWU bench scored 28 points. Zariah Tillman came off the bench and contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in 24 minutes of play.
• All 9 Lady Eagles who saw the court scored in the game.

Up Next:

• The Lady Eagles head to Baldwin City, Kansas, next Friday and Saturday as they face off against Benedictine and Baker. They will play Benedictine on Friday at 5 p.m. before facing Baker on Saturday at 3.