Warriors Overcome Second Quarter for Win Over OKCU

Sterling, Kan. – The Lady Warriors overcame a second quarter to forget in Tuesday's win over Oklahoma City University. Sterling was able to outlast the Stars to win 59-57, and head into a few days off for Thanksgiving with a much-needed win.

As the Warriors continue to work through the learning experiences of a young team, it was the veterans that kept Sterling in this game. Struggling through a poor shooting first half, Korynn Clason and Junior transfer Alyssa Heskamp were able to find a way to put up 5 points each to keep the Warriors within arms reach after one quarter of play. Sterling trailed but just six points after being outshot 53% by the Stars to just 39% by the Warriors.

The second quarter was tough all the way around. There were just 11 combined points between the two teams. Neither team scored in the first two and a half minutes, when the drought was broken with an OKCU field goal. The Warriors were not able to score a point until there were three and a half minutes left in the quarter. With the shooting woes on both sides, Sterling had only given up two more points than they had scored to that point and were still down just 8 points with more time to play in the first half. In the final minute before the half, Kali Briar hit a big three to cut the lead to seven points and those were the 5 points for Sterling in the quarter. Sterling trailed at the break, 28-21.

OKCU continued to struggle into the second half. Sterling brought out their trapping defense that caused trouble for the Stars. Active hands coupled with double teams and quick feet gave Sterling a slight advantage. They scored the first 5 points of the third quarter cutting the lead to just 2. The Stars finally scored in the third quarter almost four minutes into play. The Lady Warriors put together a couple of mini runs to finally take the lead late in the third quarter, but never grew their lead to more than just two points. Sterling outscored OKCU 15-7 in the third quarter giving them a 36-35 lead heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter was a neck and neck battle the whole way. The teams traded leads the whole way. Heskamp and Briar took the lead for the Warriors and ultimately took control of the game for the Warriors. With under ten seconds left to play in the game in a 57-57 tie, Clason was fouled on her way to the basket and calmly sunk two free throws that ended up being the difference for Sterling. The Warriors clinched a tightly contested 59-57 win over the Stars.

Heskamp was the leading scorer for Sterling with 17, but Briar was right behind her with 16. Clason also finished in double digits with 11. Sterling relied on these three for multiple aspects of the game. Briar led the team in assists and steals to go along with her scoring. Heskamp finished tied for the team lead with Kayla Morris in rebounds with 8.

Impactful for the Warriors in the second half was their ability to rebound. Sterling trailed in rebounds at the half and had 0 offensive rebounds, unable to prolong offensive possessions. In the second half, Sterling found themselves winning the rebounding battle and coming away with 8 offensive rebounds in the second half.

With the win, the Warriors improve to 2-4 this season. Sterling will take a little more than a week off before playing their next game. The conference season fires right back up with a game on the road at Southwestern College on Wednesday, November 29^th. Tipoff is scheduled at 6 pm with the men's game to follow.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.