BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – On Wednesday night in Bartlesville, Okla., the Southwestern College women's basketball team played their first Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) game of the season in Bartlesville, Okla. against the Eagles of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. In a game where the Moundbuilders held the lead at the half and after the third quarter, it was a strong fourth quarter from OKWU that sealed the deal in Southwestern's 66-58 loss on the road.

In the early portion of the battle, both teams were struggling to hit their shots, as SC was just 4-of-14 in the opening period. The Eagles countered with a 6-of-17 display, not showing much better prowess from the field. Both teams shot greater than 50% from long range, however, as the Builders were 3-of-4 from distance and the hosts hit 4-of-7 tries from beyond the arc. The above shooting clips put the score at 17-12 in favor of OKWU entering the second stanza.

Fortunes flip-flopped in the second quarter, as the Builders hit six of their 16 shots in the frame. They held the Eagles to only 4-of-16 from the floor, and only 1-of-6 from downtown. Another three three-point makes were converted by the Moundbuilders, as they continued to hit at a highly respectable pace from deep. They went 3-of-8 in the period to hit 6-of-12 in the opening half. A 21-point quarter in the second led to a 21-13 margin over the Eagles to put SC on top 33-30 at the break.

There were two very different stages of the third quarter. The first, in which Southwestern started beautifully and extended their three-point lead to ten at 51-41, eclipsed the first 7:30 of play in the period. The second part of the frame was SC allowing a 7-0 run to end the frame over the final 2:30, making it 51-48 at the end of the quarter. Southwestern shot 7-of-18 from the field, which was a similar showing to their second-quarter display. Oklahoma Wesleyan hit 6-of-18 attempts to score 18 total points in the frame. Both squads, in fact scored 18 points to keep it a three-point game entering the fourth.

Unfortunately, the run by the Eagles would continue as the game entered its final act. A 19-2 run spanning from the end of the third quarter to the 2:54 mark in the final frame put Southwestern behind by seven points at 60-53. Then, the teams traded buckets until the buzzer, as the Builders' cold streak between the third and fourth quarters came back to haunt them in their 66-58 loss. It was a dismal 2-of-17 performance by SC in the fourth, as OKWU was not much better, but did enough to win. They hit 6-of-17 from the field and neither side made a three in the last stanza.

Macey Pond and Christy Wiebe each had 23 points, and were responsible for the lion's share of the points for Southwestern on this night. In fact, there were just two made field goals that were not by Pond or Wiebe in the battle. Wiebe hit 8-of-17 shots, including 3-of-5 from deep, and Pond nailed 9-of-20 attempts, with a 4-of-10 showing from distance.

Much of the SC offense in the battle came from isolation basketball, as Pond and Wiebe were typically unassisted on their baskets. Pond, Wiebe, Haven Matthews and Madi Jones were each credited with one assist, as the squad tallied just four in the game.

Southwestern allowed far too many offensive rebounds in the game, as 15 of the Eagles' 41 boards were on the offensive end, affording several second-chance baskets to OKWU. Wiebe was the Builder leader with nine defensive rebounds in the bout, while Pond followed with eight total backboards, and D'Shonda Hunt reeled in seven rebounds for SC. Jones added support with six boards off the bench, as well. Pond and Jones were credited with single steals in the battle, while Jones also added a pair of blocks to her line score.

Southwestern (3-4, 0-1 KCAC) will head back home to host the Ottawa University Braves on Saturday, November 19 at 3 p.m. inside Stewart Field House, as the first home conference game of the campaign is upon us. Following that, SC will head out to Leavenworth to face the University of Saint Mary on Tuesday, November 22 before the Thanksgiving break.

--buildersports.com--