NOC uses late run to pull away from Lady Tigers

Trailing Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa by just four points (47-43) with 6:25 remaining, the Cowley College women’s basketball team’s cold shooting finally caught up to them as the Lady Mavericks’ outscored Cowley 19-7 to close out the 66-50 win Saturday at W.S. Scott Auditorium.

NOC out-shot the Lady Tigers 42.1 percent to 31.3 percent from the floor. The Lady Mavericks also turned the ball over just five times as they improved to 6-2 on the season.

After falling behind 15-2 to start the game, Cowley rallied to cut the Lady Mavericks’ lead to 26-21 at the end of the first half. The Lady Tigers would cut NOC’s lead to one-point (36-35) after a basket by freshman Whitney Williams with 12:30 remaining, but Cowley was never able to get over the hump in a game they never led.

Cowley is now 3-4 on the season. Noelle Jackson led Cowley with 14 points, while Gabrielle Curtis chipped in with nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Carletta Hernandez led four Lady Mavericks in double figures with 17 points. Holly Hardin also played well for NOC as she finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and five steals.

The Lady Tigers will attempt to get back in the win column tonight when they host Hutchinson at 5 p.m. Cowley lost at Hutchinson 68-62 on Nov. 10.

Box score:
NOC (66): Brianne Grisham 4-8 1-2 10, Amy Pryor 3-10 4-4 12, Meghan Winters 2-6 0-0 5, Holly Hardin 6-15 1-6 13, Bethany McBride 2-3 0-0 5, RaMeitha Buford 1-3 0-0 2, Karlee Butts 0-0 0-0 0, Vanessa Monroe 0-4 2-2 2, Carletta Hernandez 6-8 4-7 17. Totals: 24-57 12-21 66.

Cowley (50): Noelle Jackson 5-14 0-0 14, Cameron Roland 0-3 0-0 0, Gabrielle Curtis 4-11 0-0 9, Whitney Williams 3-6 0-0 6, Lauren Cherry 1-3 2-2 4, Elena Yankova 4-15 0-0 9, Natasa Draganic 2-3 0-0 4, JaNeil Robinson 0-3 1-2 1, Alexis Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Neasha Haynes 1-6 0-0 3. Totals: 20-64 3-4 50.

Three-pointers: NOC 6-22 (Grisham 1-3, Pryor 2-7, Winters 1-4, Hardin 0-3, McBride 1-2, Buford 0-1, Hernandez 1-2), Cowley 7-26 (Jackson 4-11, Roland 0-2, Curtis 1-3, Yankova 1-4, Robinson 0-1, Haynes 1-5). Rebounds: NOC 34 (Hardin 7), Cowley 36 (Curtis 8). Assists: NOC 10 (Pryor 6), Cowley 10 (Curtis 4). Turnovers: NOC 5, Cowley 13. Total fouls: NOC 9, Cowley 22. Fouled out: Haynes. Technicals: none.