Nov. 17, 2014TULSA, Okla. – Baileigh O'Dell poured in a career-high 25 points in her return to her home state, but the Lamar Lady Cardinals dropped a 73-69 decision to Tulsa in a non-conference women's basketball game Monday night.
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O'Dell, who had a large number of family and friends on hand, finished 7-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range. She went 6-of-6 from the foul line. O'Dell has 35 points in her first two games for Lamar (0-2).
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Unfortunately for Lamar, the Lady Cardinals couldn't overcome 14 second-half turnovers, as Tulsa rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half.
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Dominique Edwards had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Cardinals for her first double-double of the season and 12th of her career. Sophomore forward Bethany Cox, another native Oklahoman, had eight points and seven rebounds for Lamar.
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Sophomore Kiandra Bowers had eight points and nine rebounds for Lamar, while freshman Laka Blache had four points and five rebounds in her first career start.
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“I saw a lot of good things from our young players today,” Lamar coach Robin Harmony said. “We started two freshmen and two sophomores, and they're going to keep getting better.”
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O'Dell had 10 points to lead Lamar in the first half, as the Lady Cardinals took a 36-32 lead into the locker room. Edwards had nine points in the opening period, while Cox had six points.
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The Lady Cardinals led by nine points, 46-37, with 15:51 remaining in the second half before things went sour. In one stretch, Lamar went scoreless for eight straight possessions, committing seven turnovers and missing one shot in a period of 3:59.
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Tulsa (1-1) led by as many as eight points with 4:48 remaining before the Lady Cardinals clawed their way back into the game. Edwards tied the game at 69 by putting in a layup with 1:34 remaining. Tulsa responded with a jumper by Erika Wakefield to take a 71-69 lead with 1:09 remaining. The Lady Cardinals didn't get a shot off on their next possession, committing a 30-second violation.
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Kelsee Grovey sealed the win by draining two free throws with 14 seconds remaining.
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Kadan Brady led Tulsa with 23 points, while Mariah Turner added 14 points for the Golden Hurricane.
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The Lady Cardinals don't have much time to lick their wounds, as they travel to Norman, Okla., to take on the Oklahoma Sooners at 7 p.m. Tuesday. That game will air live on www.LamarCardinals.com. Lamar returns home to host UTSA at 2 p.m. Sunday.
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