ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University women's basketball team took one step closer to securing a spot in the 2023 Great American Conference Championship Tournament by defeating Southeastern Oklahoma State University on Saturday at home by a final score of 74-68.
The Tigers (12-12, 9-11 GAC) need one more win in their final two games to assure a spot in the tournament, but can still get in with a combination of other losses in the league. Ouachita travels to Southern Arkansas next Thursday night before closing out the regular season at home next Saturday against Arkansas-Monticello.
In Saturday's win over Southeastern (7-18, 5-15 GAC), the Tigers were led by a pair of 20-point scorers, accounting for more than half of the team's offense.
Laney Mears turned in her fifth game of the season with at least 20, this time leading her team with 23. She was 6-for-10 from the field, 5-for-9 on three-pointers, and a perfect 6-for-6 on foul shots.
Makayla Miller was not far behind with right at 20 points on an 8-for-12 outing. She finished one rebound away from a double-double, and also added a game-high seven assists in the win.
Ouachita led for all but four possessions in Saturday's win, but the Savage Storm kept it close. Ouachita's largest lead was eight points midway through the fourth period.
As a team, the Tigers turned in their second-best shooting performance in conference games this season, finishing at 54 percent from the field (27-for-50). It was their seventh game of the season at the 50 percent mark or higher.
In addition to Mears and Miller,
Grayson Fairless also reached double-digits in scoring with 12 points, and was perfect from the field at 5-for-5.
Thursday's game against SAU is set for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff in Magnolia. The Tigers will be looking to complete the season sweep over the Muleriders after earning a 10-point win back in December.
