AUSTIN, Texas (Feb. 4, 2017) – It's no secret Oklahoma Christian relies greatly on its pair of outstanding senior forwards, McKenzie Stanford and Sarah Parker. When a basketball game remains in doubt, OC coach Stephanie Findley usually has one, or both, on the court.
But both Parker and Stanford got into foul trouble on Saturday afternoon at league-leading St. Edward's (Texas) and that limited their playing time. Combine that with 24 turnovers (the Lady Eagles' second-highest total this season) and it's easy to understand why OC lost 68-55 to the Hilltoppers at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
OC (11-12, 6-5 Heartland Conference) remained in fifth place in the league standings, while St. Edward's (14-6, 10-1) – which picked up 21 points and five steals from Lexi Fatheree – moved into sole possession of first.
"Too many turnovers for us," Findley said. "It was very physical and foul trouble (on Stanford and Parker) really hindered us on offense. I was proud of our rebounding effort and our defense on their post girl, but we left Fatheree open way too much."
While Fatheree thrived, Stanford – the Heartland's leading scorer – managed only 13 points in 28 minutes. Parker, who entered the game fourth in the league scoring race, scored only two points in 22 minutes. One of the few bright spots for the Lady Eagles was their rebounding, as they out-boarded St. Edward's 37-29, led by seven each by Hannah Holasek and Addy Clift, who added 12 points.
OC led for stretches in the first and second quarters and was ahead 20-18 after Parker's only basket, with 7:15 left in the second quarter. Abby Hopper put the Hilltoppers ahead with a 3-pointer and the foul trouble for OC's stars started soon after.
Stanford picked up her second foul at the 5:47 mark and 52 seconds later, Parker was whistled for her second. She committed her third foul with 26 seconds left in the half. Stanford's third came with 5:30 left in the third quarter and Parker's fourth came 16 seconds after that.
St. Edward's led 33-26 at halftime and with Parker and Stanford sidelined or limited, the Hilltoppers quickly built their lead to 17 points in the third quarter.
Clift started an 11-3 run for OC that pulled the Lady Eagles within 52-43 by the end of the quarter, but OC didn't record a basket during the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, allowing St. Edward's to rebuild its lead.
Audrey Hayes added 10 points for OC, while Shakera Barnes had 14 points and Khiana Clark 10 for the Hilltoppers.
OC will be back on the Texas road next week, visiting St. Mary's on Thursday and Texas A&M International on Saturday.
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