Box Score Bartlesville, OK -

The OKWU Women's Basketball team hosted Sterling College Saturday afternoon for their 18th conference game. After a great fight from the Lady Eagles, they were unable to outscore the Lady Warriors and lost 81-70.  

The Lady Eagles came out hot gaining a 7-point lead within the last few minutes of the 1st quarter. The Lady Eagles kept the lead to end the 1st half 37-35. Coming out after halftime the Sterling Lady Warriors picked up their pressure and challenged the Eagles offense. The Lady Eagles never gave up the fight but struggled to get past the Lady Warriors' strong press. The Lady Eagles worked hard to find every opportunity to score.  

Three of the Eagles hit double-digit points, along with 6 other players contributing points. Rashaan Smith was outstanding for the Eagles. She led the team with 18 points, showing remarkable consistency hitting 9 of her 11 field goal attempts. Smith also contributed on defense with five rebounds and four blocks. 

Khamille and Kassidy Warr were unstoppable. Khamille was perfect from the free-throw line, sinking all six of her attempts to finish with 8 points. Kassidy Warr could not let her sister outshine her and put up 7 points, 2 steals, and 3 rebounds of her own.  

Haley Meely added 11 points and 2 steals for the Eagles, displaying versatility on both ends of the court. Zariah Tillman matched Meely's contribution with 11 points and 2 additional assists. Tatiana Gilford helped the offense effectively, leading the team with five assists while adding 6 points. 

Despite these individual efforts, the Lady Eagles faced challenges with ball control, committing 13 turnovers, and struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on only 3 of 19 three-point attempts. These factors contributed to their defeat against a resilient Sterling College team. 

The Eagles will look to learn from this experience as they prepare for their next conference match-up against Ottawa University February 13th.