THE LEAD

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Midwestern State's Zarria Carter led a group of five players in double figures with 21 points as the Mustangs edged Oklahoma Christian -- 76-74 -- in Lone Star Conference action Saturday afternoon at Payne Athletic Center.

The Mustangs snapped a four-game slide to improve to 5-14 on the season while moving to 5-8 in league play.

Oklahoma Christian lost for the 10th time in its last 11 games to drop to 3-14 and 2-11.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Makayla Coy scored the game winning layup with 15 seconds remaining to secure the win for the Midwestern State.

The Mustangs led by as many as 11 points in the first half, by Oklahoma Christian used an 8-0 run to close to within 37-35 just before halftime.

OC junior Kate Bradley buried a pair of 3-pointers during an 11-2 run midway through the third period and her fifth triple of the game gave the Eagles a 52-39 lead at the 3:36 mark.
But Catalina Cortez kick started a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then Kertisa Amos scored the next six to push the Mustangs back to a 58-52 lead.

Cortez buried another triple halfway through the fourth period to give the Mustangs a 70-64 advantage.

Once again, Oklahoma Christian rallied with a 9-2 run of its own and took a 73-72 lead when Asiyha Smith hit a layup with 1:30 to go.

Midwestern State limited the Eagles to a single free the remainder of the way, working for layups by Amos and Coy to put the game away.

LEADERS

- Midwestern State junior Zarria Carter connected on 8-of-12 shots to finish with a game-high 21 points. She also grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots. It was eight 20-point performance of the season.
- Senior Kertisa Amos overcame a 4-for-15 shooting game by hitting 6-of-7 shots from the free throw to finish with 14 points.
- Senior Makayla Coy recorded her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
- Junior Nikki Green continued to shine in a reserve role, scoring 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. She has scored in double digits in four of her last five games coming off of the bench.
- Sophomore Catalina Cortez narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and a season-high nine rebounds. She connected on two 3-pointers and has now recorded a triple in each of her last nine games.
- Oklahoma Christian junior Kate Bradley erupted for a career-high 21 points, while matching another career best with five made 3-pointers.

TEAM NOTES

- Midwestern State beat Oklahoma Christian for the fourth straight time and has beaten the Eagles in six of the last seven meetings. MSU leads the series, 11-9.
- The Mustangs moved into a tie for eighth place with Cameron and Arkansas-Fort Smith in the Lone Star Conference standings at 5-8.
- Midwestern State enjoyed its best shooting night of the season at 49.2 percent.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State takes on Lubbock Christian Thursday night on the road at the Rip Griffin Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
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