Gabby Coleman scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the first half as the Ouachita Baptist University women’s basketball team routed Missouri-St. Louis, 94-65, during Saturday’s play of the Second Annual Dr. Mary Jane Gilbert Classic at the Steelman Fieldhouse.
Coleman was 5-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-5 beyond the 3-point line to lead the Lady Tigers. Parker, who was selected to the all-tournament team, and A’Laeshia Adams each poured in 13 points, while Haley Griffin had 11. Angela Colliver and Domino Miller both finished with 10 points as Ouachita was 35-of-67 shooting for 52.2 percent.
Ouachita (3-1) started the game on an 8-3 run, capped by a pair of free throws by A’Laeshia Adams. After a timeout by Missouri-St. Louis, the Lady Tigers used a 13-4 run, capped by a Haley Griffin jumper with 12:07 left in the half to give Ouachita a 21-7 advantage. During the run, Coleman scored eight straight points as Ouachita was able to extend the margin into double digits.
The Tritons (1-4) chipped away at the Lady Tiger advantage, cutting the deficit to 23-8 after a 3-pointer by Caitlyn Moody with 9:52 left in the half. However, a 3-pointer by Parker gave Ouachita a 26-15 lead with 9:38 remaining.
Missouri-St. Louis, which lost in overtime to host Arkansas-Monticello Friday night, used a 7-3 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Moody to cut the margin to 29-22, but Melissa Richardson’s 3-pointer at the other end of the court pushed the advantage back to double digits, 32-22, with 7:20 remaining in the half. Her bucket started an 8-0 Ouachita run to push the margin to 37-22.
The Tritons, who were 10-of-24 from the floor in the first half for 41.7 percent, responded with a 7-3 run, but a 3-pointer by Domino Miller gave Ouachita a 43-29 advantage with 2:25 left in the first half. After a jumper by Kristi White, Coleman drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Lady Tigers a 46-31 advantage with 1:57 remaining.
Ouachita, which has won three games this season by more than 20 points, took a 46-32 lead into the half after shooting 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field, including knocking down seven 3-pointers.
The Lady Tigers put the game away during the first five minutes of the second by using a 17-9 run, capped by a Colliver short jumper to give Ouachita a 63-41 advantage.
Kelly Mitchell, tabbed to the all-tournament team, led Missouri-St. Louis with 12 points and Kiki Robinson added 10.
Ouachita continues its long road swing with the first of two trips this season to San Antonio, Texas as the Lady Tigers travel 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 4 to Incarnate Word.
