MACU News
 
Sat, Jan 21, 2012 - [Women's Basketball]
Oklahoma City, Okla. - The No. 15-ranked Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm pulled away late in the first half and went on to a 79-56 win over the Mid-America Christian Lady Evangels in a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup Saturday afternoon (Jan. 21) at the Gaulke Activity Center. 
The beginning and ending of the first half proved troublesome for the Lady Evangels.
Two scores from Ashley Mantooth helped the Crimson Storm jump out to an early 7-1 lead before a three by Brittany Woodard capped a 6-0 spurt that tied the score early on. 
It was still even at 11-11 when a three by Samantha O'Shields gave the Crimson Storm a three-point advantage, but the Lady Evangels again responded as a putback by Kourtni Williams and a trey from Brooklyn Bell gave MACU its first lead of the game at 15-14 with 9:17 left in the opening stanza.
O'Shields then took over with three consecutive treys for a 23-15 lead at the 5:39 mark.
After a three by Bell and a three-point play by Williams brought the Lady Evangels to within 27-23, Logan Martin connected from long range and then converted a three-point play as the Crimson Storm scored the final nine points of the half for a 36-23 lead at the break. 
The Crimson Storm continued to pull away in the second half as a score inside by Mantooth and a three from Katie Beebe expanded the lead to 45-24. 
MACU closed the gap on shots by Erica Jones, Nicole Wittman and two free throws by Williams that made it a 16-point game at 48-32 at the 13:06 mark.
But another three by O'Shields started a 17-5 spurt that pulled SNU to their largest lead to that point of 65-38 with 7:29 left. Williams tried to keep the Lady Evangels in it by scoring all five points during that six minute span.
The lead grew to as many as 30 when threes by Jones and Parris Price brought the Lady Evangels to within 21 with 2:28 left, the closest they would get the rest of the way.
Williams paced the Lady Evangels with 21 points and a team-high nine rebounds. She hit 6-of-13 from the field and 9-of-11 from the charity stripe. Woodard also reached double-figures with 12 points and Price dished out a team-best four assists.
O'Shields led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-12 overall and 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. Mantooth added 12 points and a team-high seven boards.
SNU enjoyed a huge advantage inside, out-rebounding the Lady Evangels 44-30 overall and 19-11 on the offensive glass.
The Lady Evangels will next wrap up their six-game homestand against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday evening (Jan. 26) at 6 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center.