MITCHELL, S.D. — College of the Ozarks used a late fourth-quarter surge and a dominant performance from the frontcourt to pull away from Eastern Oregon for an 82-67 win Friday night in the NAIA women’s opening round game at The World’s Only Corn Palace.

The Bobcats led wire to wire but did their most decisive work in the final 10 minutes. Clinging to a single-digit lead early in the fourth quarter, College of the Ozarks turned to the combination of outside shooting and transition scoring to put the game out of reach. A 3-pointer from Zoe Hinze with 9:21 to play made it 65-53 and set the tone, and a fastbreak layup by Allyssa Joyner with three minutes left pushed the margin to 79-61 as the Lady Cats closed out a 15-point victory.

Hinze fueled the offense with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, knocking down six of her 10 attempts from beyond the arc and finishing 9 of 17 from the field and 3 of 3 at the line. Keara Mattingley added 17 points and matched Hinze with 10 boards in 37 minutes, while Joyner provided 13 points and six rebounds off efficient 4-of-7 shooting and a 5-of-6 effort at the stripe. The trio keyed a College of the Ozarks attack that shot 42.5% (31 of 73) from the field, 35.3% (6 of 17) from 3-point range and 77.8% (14 of 18) at the free-throw line.

College of the Ozarks established control early, opening a 25-17 lead after the first quarter. Avery Arnold capped the frame with a jumper in the final minute to stretch the advantage, and the Lady Cats repeatedly answered Eastern Oregon pushes with timely scores. The Mountaineers found some offensive rhythm in the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 22-17 to trim the deficit to three, but Hinze drilled a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in the half to send College of the Ozarks into the locker room ahead 42-37.

Defensively, the Lady Cats’ perimeter pressure proved pivotal after the break. Eastern Oregon, which relied heavily on the 3-point line, was limited to just 4-of-30 shooting from deep (13.3%) and 39.4% overall from the floor. College of the Ozarks also held a 43-39 edge on the glass and turned 12 Mountaineer turnovers into 13 points, helping to maintain separation even when half-court offense slowed.

In the third quarter, College of the Ozarks methodically rebuilt its cushion. Arnold’s layup in the lane with 43 seconds left in the period pushed the lead to 60-50 and sent the Lady Cats to the fourth with their first double-digit advantage since the opening quarter. From there, the offense balanced inside touches to Mattingley and Joyner with Hinze’s shooting on the perimeter, while the defense continued to run Eastern Oregon off the 3-point line.

Eastern Oregon was led by Haylee Johnson, who finished with 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds in 32 minutes. Kali Kast added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, but the Mountaineers’ struggles from long range and at the line — 7 of 12 (58.3%) on free throws — undercut their interior success, where they held a 44-32 edge in points in the paint.

College of the Ozarks also received a significant lift from its depth, outscoring Eastern Oregon 36-31 in bench points and generating 32 points in the paint and eight fastbreak points. With the opening-round win secured behind balanced scoring and sustained defensive effort, the Lady Cats advance in the NAIA tournament with momentum and a proven formula of inside-out offense and perimeter pressure.

The Lady Cats will face Dakota Wesleyan University in a 3:00 contest on Saturday. The game was originally scheduled for a 6:00 start but the threat of inclement weather has forced the earlier start time.