Davlakou Scores 23 as USAO Cruises to Victory at Central Christian

MCPHERSON, Kan. – Thursday evening, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (16-11, 14-9 SAC) claimed a 70-53 victory on the road at Central Christian College (3-24, 1-22 SAC). The Drovers improve to 16-0 against the Tigers all-time, dating to December 2017.

With one game remaining in the regular season, the Drovers sit in a tie for fifth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the conference tournament, and the top four seeded teams will host the first round, prior to the tournament being moved to Langston University for the semifinals and finals. 

On Thursday, the Drovers got off to a hot start and opened the game on a 15-5 run, prior to holding a 20-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter and USAO took a 34-25 lead into halftime. 

Following the break, the Drovers outscored the Tigers 25-13 to take a 59-38 advantage into the final 10 minutes of action. Central Christian finished strong and outscored USAO 15-11 in the fourth quarter, but the Drovers managed to cling to the 70-53 win.

USAO's offense closed the game shooting 29-59 (.492) from the field, 6-21 (.286) from beyond the arc, and 6-8 (.750) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Central Christian shot 20-66 (.303) from the field, 12-41 (.293) from deep, and 1-3 (.333) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers scored 44 points in the paint and hauled in 47 rebounds. In comparison, the Tigers scored 12 points in the paint and grabbed 30 rebounds. 

USAO committed 15 turnovers, which led to 13 points for CCC. Meanwhile, the Tigers fumbled the ball 12 times, resulting in 12 points for the Drovers.

USAO was whistled for nine fouls, while CCC was called for 11 violations.

Evangelia Davlakou led the USAO offense with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Davlakou shot 11-15 from the field, and is now averaging 15.3 points per game, which ranks ninth in the Sooner Athletic Conference.

Madison Hays produced 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists, followed by Hannah Harris with nine points and six rebounds. 

Devynn Harris and Alexia Corrales each concluded with six points, trailed by Franka Kraus and Ashley Gonzalez with five points each. 

Jasmine Villarreal tallied three points and Caroliena Diaz scored two points. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will conclude the regular season on Saturday, February 22 in Langston, Okla. The women's game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM CT, followed by the men's game at 3:45 PM CT.

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