MONTICELLO- After a close first half of action, Ouachita Baptist pulled away quickly in the second half, defeating Texas A&M-Commerce, 83-61, in the first round of the fourth annual Mary Jane Gilbert Classic at Steelman Fieldhouse in Monticello on Friday.
Ouachita (3-1) used 40 bench points to pull away from Texas A&M-Commerce (0-3), while also producing a better shooting percentage in all categories and forcing their opponent into 31 turnovers on the night.
At halftime, it looked to be a close contest, as Ouachita led a close matchup, 32-29. It was clear after the first 6 minutes of the second half, however, that it wasn’t going to be so close. The Lady Tigers went on a 13-4 run in the opening six minutes of the second half, taking a 12-point lead and never looked back after that. It was clear that the speed and athleticism of Ouachita played a vital role in the victory, as the Lady Tigers produced 21 points off of fast break opportunities, compared to just six by Texas A&M-Commerce.
Freshman Nashia James continued a bright start to her collegiate career, pacing Ouachita with 17 points, five rebounds and four steals. Juniors A’Laeshia Adams (13 points) and Beulah Osueke (11) also added offensive production. For sophomore Breanna Dillard, it was an efficiently productive evening with nine points and eight rebounds in just 11 minutes of play. As a team, the Lady Tigers shot 45 percent overall.
Texas A&M-Commerce was led by Mattilyn McIntyre with 17 points, followed by teammate Bianca Stevenson’s 12-point effort.
Ouachita returns for the second and final game of the Mary Jane Gilbert Classic tomorrow against Mobile at 12 p.m. in Monticello.
