Clarksville, Ark.-The Lady Eagles won one of their biggest games since entering the American Southwest Conference five years ago with a 67-62 win over East Texas Baptist University Thursday night.
Ozarks used numerous players, three of which were in double figures in scoring, to give them their ninth win of the year. The Lady Eagles received a spark from sophomore guard Abby Jansen, playing for the injured Kristy Watts, to give Ozarks a 31-27 half time lead. Jansen’s three-pointer with 2:25 left in the half put the Lady Eagles up 24-23 to ignite an early first half comeback. Jones’ second unit was also responsible for forcing the Lady Tigers into an uncharacteristic 17 first half turnovers. In the second half, Lacey Johnson hit back-to-back three-pointers midway through the half to give the Lady Eagles a 45-39 lead. After a scrappy comeback by the Lady Tigers, Christie Shuffield hit a basket to increase the lead to 51-48 with less than seven minutes to play in the game. Ozarks would retain the lead for the rest of the game. “This was a big win for us, but we’ve got to continue to stay focused for the rest of the season,” said Jones. “You’ve got to win games like this to stay in contention for a conference title.” Jansen scored a game high 12 points for the Lady Eagles. Lacey Johnson hit 2 of 7 from the three-point line on her way to scoring 10 points. Johnson also had 3 rebounds, two steals, and 3 assists. Jennifer Goodwin grabbed 3 rebounds in 8 minutes of play. The Lady Eagles improved to 9-4 and 6-2 with the win.
Topics: Athletics