In Monday's matchup with a top-ranked team, the Lady Eagles battled hard but were unable to pull off the upset. Sterling came away with a 75-68 victory, while the Lady Eagles fell to 9-9 on the season.

Recap:

• Both teams came out strong in the first quarter, with Sterling winning the period 30-21. The Lady Eagles shot better than 47% in the game's first ten minutes, but Sterling shot nearly 59% in an impressive offensive display. Sydnee Schovanec scored 11 points in the period to keep the Lady Eagles close.
• The teams battled to a 17-17 draw in the second quarter, making the halftime score 47-38 in favor of Sterling.
• In the third quarter, Sterling earned a slight 18-16 edge behind the offensive prowess of Bailey Albright. The Lady Eagles balanced attack was key in the period, as 6 different players scored.
• Down 11 to start the final quarter, the Lady Eagles cut Sterling's lead to just 5 with under 4 minutes to play when MaKayla Watkins drilled a 3-point jumper. After a defensive stop, a ShaRae Frazier bucket made it 71-68 in Sterling's favor.
• Unfortunately, that was the last OKWU bucket of the evening, and some late free throws grew the Sterling lead to a 75-68 final score.

Now the Numbers:

• The Lady Eagles made 13 shots from beyond the arc, shooting 42% from downtown on the night.
• OKWU had a slight edge in the rebound battle, 34-28.
• The difference in the game came in the fast break, where Sterling scored 23 points and the Lady Eagles mustered only 4.
• MaKayla Watkins and Sydnee Schovanec led the way offensively, with each scoring 15 points. Watkins made 5 3-pointers, while Schovanec added 9 rebounds to her stat sheet.
• Brittan Garrett scored in double-figures for the second straight game, adding 12 points.

Up Next:

• The Lady Eagles play at Tabor on Thursday, January 13^th. The game will tip at 5 p.m.