Nov. 14, 2014 Final Stats
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STILLWATER, Okla. - The LMU women's basketball team gave No. 20-ranked Oklahoma State a true battle Friday morning at Gallagher-Iba Arena, pulling to within five in the final three minutes before setting for a 76-65 setback in both teams' 2014-15 season opener.
Junior Deanna Johnson led LMU (0-1) with 22 points, hitting 8-for-15 from the field. Emily Ben-Jumbo poured in a career-high 17 points and added 11 rebounds to open her senior campaign with her third career double-double. Sophie Taylor chipped in 13 points, including three three-pointers, to round out the Lions in double figures.
"I am really proud of this team," said Head Coach Charity Elliott. "The heart and passion that we played with was incredible. We rattled (OSU) and tried to take them out of what they were comfortable with. A great team is going to show you your weaknesses, but the fight and leadership and dedication we had for the entire game was tremendous."
Brittney Martin led the Cowgirls (1-0) with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Liz Donohoe aded 20 points.
OSU hit a pair of quick buckets to take an early 5-0 lead to open play. Johnson put LMU on the board with a jumper in the lane at 18:30.
With OSU leading 22-12 midway through the first half, Johnson would score six straight points for the Lions, trimming the spread down to four, 22-18 with 8:05 on the clock. The Cowgirls responded with a run of their own, opening up the largest lead of the half, 30-18, before settling in for a 37-27 advantage at the break.
Strong out of the games in the second half, the Lions would go on a 10-0 run to pull the game into its first tie, 37-37 at 16:51. Donahoe finally responded for the Cowgirls, hitting back-to-back baskets to jumpstart an 11-0 OSU run.
Never down and out, the Lions kept the game within single digits down the stretch. A three by Deshka Olson with 2:51 on the clock made it 66-61 OSU, but the Cowgirls were able to hold on, hitting 8-of-14 free throws down the stretch.
Despite giving up size and strength inside, the Lions were edged on the boards just 42-37. Oklahoma State did use 15 steals and 22 total LMU turnovers to score 21 points. Eighteen OSU offensive rebounds also turned into 20 second chance points.
The Lions have a quick turnaround, returning to Los Angeles Friday night before heading back out on the road Sunday for a Monday, Nov. 17 match-up at UNLV. Tip off from Las Vegas is scheduled for 5 p.m.
