Women's Hoops Caps Season with Comeback Victory

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College women's basketball team trailed 16-2 early and found itself down 27-12 in the second quarter, but the 'Roos fought back and came out with a 56-51 victory to close out the year against the University of the Ozarks. The 'Roos finish the season with a 9-15 overall record and a 5-11 mark in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

After the Eagles sprinted out to their early 16-2 lead with 4:35 left in the opening quarter, Austin College started to chip away and finished the period strong with 10 straight points to cut it to a 16-12 game heading into the second. Lexi Martin knocked down a pair of triples to get the run started, and Brooklyn Matthews and Taiyla Williams scored to close out the quarter. However, Austin College went cold to open the second, as Ozarks used an 11-0 run and kept the 'Roos scoreless for nearly seven minutes until Emma Potts scored to make it 27-14. The Eagles ended up going into halftime holding a 30-18 lead, as Austin College made just 3-of-13 shot attempts in the second quarter.

The 'Roos quickly closed the gap in the third, with Maya Dodson's triple cutting it to a 32-27 game and a bucket making it 32-29 with 5:25 on the clock. The Eagles pushed the margin to 40-31 toward the end of the third, with a trey from Dodson making it 40-34 heading into the final quarter. Ozarks held an eight point lead at 44-36 early in the fourth, but Austin College chipped away and a pair of threes from Martin trimmed it to a 47-44 game with 5:56 left to play. Dodson knocked down another three with four and a half minutes left to put Austin College ahead 48-47, and after Ozarks briefly regained the lead, Matthews scored to put Austin College on top for good at 50-49 at the 3:29 mark. Martin followed with a three, and Kaylee Smith scored to push the 'Roo lead to 55-49 with 1:30 on the clock, and that was enough to seal the win for Austin College.

Martin finished with a game-high 19 points, hitting 5-of-11 from long range, and Matthews came off the bench to post a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also handed out five assists in the win and added three blocked shots and a pair of steals. Dodson scored 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and grabbed seven boards while dishing out three assists. Naomi Smith led Ozarks with 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Dalena Fisher added 18 points for the Eagles.