Drovers Remain Perfect with Thrilling Win Against Southwestern Christian

CHICKASHA, Okla. – Saturday evening, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 SAC) continued their perfect start to the season with a hard-fought 70-64 triumph against Southwestern Christian University (4-3, 1-2 SAC). The Drovers improve to 21-11 against the Eagles in head-to-head matchups since November 2012. Additionally, USAO has won 11 of the last 12 meetings since 2021.

The 5-0 record is USAO's best start to a season since 2022-23, when they began 11-0. Through five games, USAO has the top offense in the Sooner Athletic Conference in terms of volume and efficiency. The Drovers are averaging 87.2 points per contest, while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, and 37.9 percent from three-point range, all of which lead the league. USAO's defense has also been superb, holding opponents to 30.1 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from deep, both being the best in the SAC. Lastly, the Drovers are the best rebounding team in the SAC so far, hauling in an average of 48.4 rebounds per contest.

On Saturday, the teams traded buckets early on and the score was even at 10-10 midway through the opening quarter. The Drovers finished the quarter on a 9-4 run to take a 19-14 advantage into the second.

The score remained tight in the second frame, with the Eagles narrowly outscoring the Drovers 20-19, but USAO still managed to take a four-point lead (38-34) into the break. The exciting first half featured seven ties and six lead changes.

Following halftime, it was more of the same, a tight battle throughout the third quarter, with SCU outscoring USAO 19-17 and trimming their deficit to two going into the final 10 minutes of the game. The Drovers took a 55-53 advantage into the fourth and did a terrific job at holding off the Eagles despite their best efforts. USAO outscored SCU 15-11 in the fourth frame. 

Saturday night was by far USAO's worst offensive performance of the season, but they displayed a lot of grit and found a way to win. USAO's offense closed the game shooting 23-59 (.390) from the field, 6-21 (.286) from beyond the arc, and 18-26 (.692) from the free-throw line. In comparison, SCU shot 20-58 (.345) from the field, 4-18 (.222) from deep, and 20-28 (.714) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers scored 24 points in the paint and hauled in 38 rebounds. In comparison, the Eagles scored 22 points in the paint and grabbed 39 rebounds. 

USAO committed 15 turnovers, which led to 17 points for SCU. Meanwhile, the Eagles fumbled the ball 18 times, resulting in 14 points for the Drovers.

USAO was whistled for 24 fouls, while SCU was called for 30 violations.

Evangelia Davlakou led the USAO offense with 23 points, along with two assists, and four steals. Through five games, Davlakou leads the SAC in scoring (20.8 PPG) and assists (4.4 APG), while ranking third in three-point percentage (.483) and steals (3.0).

Chaniya Dooly-Felton added 10 points, six rebounds, and five steals in 18 minutes off the bench. 

Mya Brown contributed nine points, four rebounds, and five assists. Ti'Alone Banks concluded with eight points, followed by Nyapar Mathot with seven points and five rebounds. Mathot leads the conference in field goal percentage (72.4) and ranks fifth in rebounds per game (8.0).

Hannah Harris finished with five points and 11 rebounds. Harris has been terrific in the paint so far this season and ranks second in the SAC in rebounds per game (9.2), while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (64.0).

Jordyn Rollins was also solid in the paint, adding five points, six rebounds, and three assists. 

Pashonnay Johnson scored three points, grabbed a rebound, and stole the ball once on defense. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will hit the road for a non-conference matchup at Friends University on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM CT in Wichita, Kan.    

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