Women’s Basketball team builds on strong start

By Michael Stewart, Assistant Sports Editor   (Courtesy Photo/Bison Athletics)

The Oklahoma Baptist women’s basketball team has had a solid 2017-2018 campaign thus far. The Lady Bison currently sit at 12-10 overall on the season and 7-9 in the Great American Conference, already surpassing the teams win total from last season with six games still remaining in the season.

In their last five games, the Lady Bison have gone 3-2, and in their three wins they have won by an average of 8 points.

“We have had to overcome a ton of setbacks and adversity,” junior Alexia Richards said. “But, we have come together as a team and pushed through the season.”

The Lady Bison currently sit at fifth place in the GAC standings and are well within the playoff picture. In fact, OBU is only one game behind Ouachita Baptist University for fourth place in the GAC. The Lady Bison have improved in several key areas this season. Their biggest attribute is their high-efficiency offense.

They currently are ranked as the second highest scoring team in the GAC with just under an 81-points per game average. There are several major factors that are responsible for this accomplishment.

They lead the league in assists, field goal percentage, turnover margin, and assist to turnover ratio. Also, they are second in three-point field goal percentage.

“Our team has really learned how to play for each other and make plays for one another,” senior Lexi Williams said. “This has been one of our biggest improvements and has helped us through the season.”

Although they have one of the most potent offenses, the Lady Bison have struggled to solidify defensively, which has led to some tough, close losses throughout the season. The Lady Bison have lost eight of their games by ten points or fewer.

However, in a lot of cases, the brilliance of their offense has made up for their defensive struggles. The players and coaches both believe that if the Lady Bison can continue to thrive offensively, and clean up a few things defensively, they are going to be a very dangerous team in the GAC post-season.

“We are striving to finish the regular season without any more losses,” Richards said. “We are wanting to set ourselves up in a good spot for the post-season, and hopefully give ourselves a chance at a national championship.”

The Lady Bison will be back in action on February 15.