McPherson, Kan. – Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Chloe Clevenger for the third straight game, Central Christian ran into a red-hot University of Science and Arts (Okla.) squad on Saturday afternoon, falling 88–38 in Sooner Athletic Conference play. The loss moves the Tigers to 4–7 overall and 0–5 in SAC action, while the Drovers improve to 7–1, 4–0 in league play.
USAO, coming off a big win over nationally ranked Langston, showed why they are one of the top teams in the conference, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from three (14-of-22). Pashonnay Johnson led all scorers with 26 points, knocking down 8-of-11 from beyond the arc, while Jordyn Rollins added 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Evangelia Davlakou turned in a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to pace the Drovers’ attack.
Central Christian battled on the glass, only trailing 44–35 in rebounds, but struggled to find rhythm offensively. The Tigers shot 22.2 percent from the field (14-of-63) and 16.7 percent from three (5-of-30). Charmayne Marshall and Erica Jaramillo each finished with 6 points, with Jaramillo knocking down two threes. Kylee Jones added 5 points and 6 rebounds, while Alexandria Craig matched her with 6 boards and 4 points inside. Off the bench, C’Niyah Williams provided energy with 4 points and a team-high 9 rebounds, and Haiden Smoke-Sheckels chipped in 3 points and 2 boards.
The game turned in the second quarter, when the Drovers outscored the Tigers 31–7 to take a 53–17 lead into the locker room. USAO converted 26 points off 20 Tiger turnovers and used their perimeter shooting to put the game out of reach, while Central continued to compete and found a better offensive stretch in the third quarter with 13 points and a couple of made threes.
Despite the tough afternoon and the continued absence of the injured Clevenger, Central Christian’s young group gained experience against one of the SAC’s top teams. The Tigers will look to regroup against Oklahoma Panhandle State (3-7) on Thursday at Home, 6pm. The Tigers look to build on the rebounding effort and bench contributions as they move deeper into conference play.
