**For
Immediate Release**
Lady Aggies Get BIG 75-69 Win Over Newman
by Scott Puryear of Aggie Sports on 12/11/05
Goodwell, OK- If you like exciting college basketball,
Oklahoma Panhandle State was the place to be on Saturday
night. The Lady Aggies avenged an earlier loss against
Newman University with an exciting 75-69 victory.
Newman came into the game with a 9-2 record and a top 25 ranking.
The Jets had topped the Lady Aggies 70-58 on 11/22 and the
Lady Aggies were in a payback mood.
Newman came out very strong, and though the Lady Aggies were
solid on defense, they did not shoot well and Newman held a
32-27 halftime advantage.
Nine seconds into the second half, OPSU’s
Sarah Furgeson made a nice pass to Taneisha Rogers who promptly
nailed a three pointer. In quick sequence, the dependable
Diana Garduno had a tip-in, blocked a shot, then another
tip-in, and the Lady Aggies took the lead, 34-32.
Going to his bench frequently, and more than once substituting
in groups of four or five, OPSU coach Jerry Olson kept Newman
off balance for most of the second half.
As the second half transpired, both teams put on an excellent
display of college basketball and Newman held a 47-46 lead
with ten minutes to play. However, another Garduno rebound
and tip-in put OPSU back in the lead, 48-47. The game continued
to stay close and the Lady Aggies led by a single point (65-64)
with 2:30 left to play.
Brandi Lewis converted a Newman technical foul into two free
throws and Furgeson immediately followed with another pair
of foul shots to put the Lady Aggies in front, 69-64.
From there, OPSU kept things under their
control and with the 75-69 victory, raised their record to
6-4. In the end, it was the balance of this year’s
OPSU team that spelled the difference.
Olson called it a good win against a
good team and had special praise for Rogers and April Gahagan,
each who came off the bench. Gahagan scored 11 and Rogers
was OPSU’s leading
scorer with 15.
The veteran coach also complimented the
performances of inside players Garduno and Nina Kuleff. Kuleff
(a junior) had not practiced all week, due to an ankle injury,
but played well and notched the game’s only “double – double” (with
ten points and ten rebounds).
Garduno has been a dependable player throughout her career
as a Lady Aggie. A fan favorite, the senior sparked OPSU all
night with her determined play and scored 12 points and pulled
down eight rebounds.
Brandi Lewis also scored in double figures for OPSU with 11.
This week, the Lady Aggies will spend a good deal of their
time taking semester final tests, but will be back in action
on Sunday (12/18) for an afternoon game with Missouri Southern
on the OPSU campus.
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