The Ouachita Lady Tigers (13-3, 8-2 GAC) took Thursday night’s Southern Bancorp Battle of the Ravine game against the visiting Lady Reddies of Henderson State (9-7, 4-6 GAC). Although just winning the rivalry contest is impressive, what makes it more impressive is that the Lady Tigers did it without their leading scorer and rebounder, Monica Williams. Still, the Lady Tigers prevailed in a 65-57 contest, holding atop the GAC standings along with East Central and Arkansas Tech.
The Lady Tigers only trailed once in the contest, when Henderson took a 1-0 lead in the early goings of the contest. Following the short advantage for the Lady Reddies, Ouachita pushed themselves into the lead. In the first half, the Lady Tigers led by as many as 13 points before settling for a nine point advantage at halftime.
Henderson rallied back in the second half, cutting the Lady Tiger advantage down to just three at one point, but the Lady Tigers were able to overcome, fighting back with a couple of runs of their own. The Lady Tigers got the lead up to 12 with just 2:48 left in the game, but Henderson put themselves back in the contest with an 8-0 run. Fortunately for Ouachita, six made free throws, four of which came from Katherine West, sealed the victory.
Ouachita used a 22 point performance from Nashia James to fuel their victory. James not only led the team in scoring though, but also in rebounding, as she recorded seven in the contest. Despite playing in pain, Kendra Coyle contributed 13 points and a game-high four assists, while also racking up three steals on the defensive end of the floor. Other leading scorers included Elise Holman, Erica Sharp and Katherine West, who finished with nine, eight and seven points respectively.
Shareka Maner led the way for the Lady Reddies, posting a double-double in a 14 point, 10 rebound performance. Krystal Beachum added 13 points, but turned the ball over five times over the course of the game.
Neither team was able to take an advantage on the boards, with both teams recording 36 rebounds in the game. The Lady Tigers converted on 39.3 percent of their shots, while limiting Henderson to a 34.6 mark. Other notable team statistics include Ouachita’s advantage in turnovers, as they forced 21 and only committed 17.
The Lady Tigers continue conference play on Saturday, when they host Southern Arkansas to cap off their four game home stand. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Photo credit to Dr. Wesley Kluck
