November 19, 2008

Improbable rally helps Lady Tigers win 76-66

Trailing Eastern Oklahoma 65-55 with 3:14 remaining in Tuesday night’s contest in Wilburton, Okla., the No. 30-ranked Cowley College women’s basketball team turned up its defensive intensity and ended the game on a 21-1 run to win 76-66.

The Lady Mountaineers had no answer for Cowley’s full court press as Eastern Oklahoma came unraveled and began turning the ball over nearly every possession in the final minutes of the game.

“We finally got going and got some turnovers,” Cowley head coach Todd Clark said. “For a long time there we weren’t doing what we needed to do to take them out of their comfort level.”

Cowley trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half before rallying to improve to 5-1 on the season. Bebe Holloway scored 17 of her 20 points in the second half, while Elena Yankova also finished with 20 points for the Lady Tigers.

Redshirt freshman Darby Lupardes came off the bench to drain three treys and finished with 11 points, and Gabbie Curtis added 10. Kaneesha Lee also played well and deflected several passes in the Lady Tigers’ full court press.

Shantoya Fisher led Eastern Oklahoma with 18 points, while Tarra Kania added 13. The loss drops the Lady Mountaineers’ record to 3-5 on the season.

Cowley, winners of four straight games, will host Garden City Community College Thursday at 7 p.m. The Lady Broncbusters are 6-3 on the season. Katie Novack leads Garden City with an average of 19.1 points per game.

“It will be a tough game for us, we will be tested,” Clark said.

Scoring:
Cowley (76): Elena Yankova 20, Bebe Holloway 20, Darby Lupardes 11, Gabbie Curtis 10, Dominique English 9, Whitney Williams 3, Kaneesha Lee 2, JaNeil Robinson 1. Totals: 23 (4) 18-29.

E. Okla. (66): Fisher 18, Kania 13, Hallis 9, Colerra 8, Adams 7, Leek 6, Williams 4. Totals: 17 (6) 14-18.