#24 USAO Remains Perfect with Win at Tabor College

HILLSBORO, Kan. – Saturday afternoon, the No. 24 ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0 SAC) stayed perfect with a hard-fought 61-54 victory at Tabor College (3-2, 0-0 KCAC). The Drovers and Bluejays also met last season, and USAO came away with a 61-53 win. USAO owns a 5-4 record against Tabor in the all-time series, dating back to December of 2005.

The Drovers got off to a rough start and trailed 19-11 after one quarter of action. USAO played strong in the second quarter and outscored the Bluejays by a margin of 11-4 to cut their deficit to 23-22 going into halftime.

Following the break, both teams traded baskets, but Tabor was able to outscore USAO 19-16 in the third quarter and took a 42-38 lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation. The Drovers dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bluejays 23-12 to complete the comeback victory in hostile territory.  

The Drovers key to victory was their sensational defense, holding the Bluejays to only 18-51 (.353) shooting from the field and 5-12 (.417) from three-point range, while USAO went 21-56 (.375) from the field and 4-10 (.400) from deep.

Tabor commanded the rebounding battle by a narrow margin of 39-34, but USAO overcame that by forcing TC into committing 12 turnovers, while only fumbling the ball 10 times themselves. 

The Drovers were whistled for 17 fouls, while the Bluejays committed 15 violations. USAO was tremendous at the free-throw line, going 15-20 (.750), while Tabor finished 13-19 (.684) at the charity stripe.

Despite getting into foul trouble, Lainey Morrow led the Drover offense with 24 points in only 23 minutes of action. Morrow was very efficient, shooting 9-14 from the field and 6-7 at the free-throw line.

Trinitee Alexander and Brayana Polk each concluded with 10 points in the win. Alexander hauled in eight rebounds, while Polk grabbed three boards. 

Tonijah Fortune added eight points and four rebounds off the bench, followed by Jordan Bloomfield with seven points, four rebounds, and three steals. 

Alexia Corrales contributed two points and three rebounds. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will be back in action next weekend as they play a pair of ranked opponents in Kentucky.  USAO will face No. 21 ranked Georgetown College on Friday, November 17 at 5:00 PM CT in Georgetown, Ky., followed by a showdown at No. 1 Campbellsville University on Saturday at 4:00 PM CT in Campbellsville, Ky.

Stay up to date on all Drover Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!

Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.com

Live-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao

YouTube: Drover Athletics

Twitter/X: @DroverAthletics

Facebook: @DroverAthletics

Instagram: @drover_athletics

GIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers