Clarksville, Ark.-The University of the Ozarks women's basketball team struggled from the field shooting just 31 percent as University of Texas-Dallas gave the Lady Eagles a 73-59 setback in American Southwest Conference play in Richardson, Texas, on Saturday afternoon.
Ozarks (7-7, 6-5) hit 8-of-28 (28%) from the field in the first half and 13-of-38 (34%) in the second half while having difficulty stopping a balanced UT-Dallas (7-6, 6-4) offensive attack. The Lady Eagles held three leads in the first half, but faced a 35-26 deficit at halftime. Ozarks got as close as five points on three different occasions in the second half, but the Lady Comets found a way to answer each Lady Eagles’ basket. Lori Moon’s layup with 15:52 remaining cut the deficit to 42-37, however, UT-Dallas came back with a 6-0 spurt to push their lead into double digits. UT-Dallas had four players score in double figures. Moon and Olivia Fisher each had 14 points and 8 rebounds to lead Ozarks. Mandi Carter contributed 10 points. “We are excited to be at home this week,” said head coach Kelly Stutz. “We know we have to take care of business at home to accomplish our goals this season. Winning on the road in this conference is tough. We are a young team and I think we’ve learned a lot from playing five straight road games. The kids are not happy with the results of the trip, but we have a lot of season left and we will improve.” Ozarks will be gunning for one of four playoff spots as the season winds down. “I expect them to play as hard as they can and do the little things, and then the wins will take care of themselves,” said Stutz. “The losses on the road bothered them. They have an expectation to reach their goals this season.” Stutz has been happy with improved play on the perimeter. “I’m very happy with our depth at the perimeter spot,” said Stutz. “Our young kids out on the perimeter have given us some quality minutes.” Ozarks begins a three-game home stretch next week beginning with a Monday match-up against Austin College.
Topics: Athletics