Austin College Drops Regular Season Finale

CLARKSVILLE, Ark. — The Austin College women's basketball team concluded its regular season with a 63-52 road loss to the University of the Ozarks on Saturday evening at Mabee Gymnasium. With the defeat, the 'Roos finish the regular season at 14-11 overall and 11-5 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play. The Eagles improved to 13-12 overall and 8-8 in conference action.

Avory Miller paced the 'Roos offensively, pouring in a team-high 17 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Lexi Martin reached double figures with 10 points and added four boards, while Kaylee Smith chipped in nine points and three rebounds off the bench. Maya Dodson and Brooklyn Matthews anchored the rebounding effort for Austin College with five boards apiece.

For Ozarks, Kennedi Wight led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding five rebounds and three steals. Abby Beene also provided a major spark for the Eagles, tallying 19 points and five rebounds. Elli Garcia contributed eight points and six boards.

Ozarks set the tone early, outscoring Austin College 16-7 in the opening quarter. The Eagles grabbed a quick lead as Garcia converted an offensive rebound into a layup at the 9:28 mark. The 'Roos offense found a brief rhythm late in the first quarter with back-to-back layups by Smith, but the hosts maintained control.

In the second quarter, Trinity Williams drilled a three-pointer at the 6:49 mark to trim the Austin College deficit to 16-10. However, Beene immediately answered with a fastbreak trey eight seconds later to stifle the momentum. The Eagles carried a 30-19 advantage into the halftime break.

The 'Roos mounted a strong comeback effort in the third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 16-11. Martin opened the second-half scoring with a three-pointer at 9:28, and a fastbreak layup by Miller at 7:49 kept Austin College within striking distance. A crucial three by Dodson with 1:13 remaining in the period cut the Ozarks lead to 41-33. Miller closed the quarter by sinking two free throws with 26 seconds left, narrowing the gap to 41-35 heading into the final frame.

Austin College closed to within six points again early in the fourth quarter when Matthews connected on a layup at the 8:46 mark to make it 43-37. Ozarks, however, responded with a decisive run. Wight converted a layup with 1:44 remaining to push the advantage to 57-45, and then hit a three-pointer with 1:22 left to play that extended the Eagles' lead to 61-45, effectively sealing the victory. Martin hit a late triple for the 'Roos with 20 seconds remaining, but the early deficit proved too large to overcome.

The 'Roos head into next week's conference tournament, which will be hosted on the campus of Hendrix College, as the top seed coming out of the Blue Division. They've earned a first round bye and will advance directly to the semifinal round, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday against the winner of Friday's quarterfinal matchup between Ozarks and either McMurry or Texas Lutheran.