Point Lookout, MO – Coming off a 35-point victory against the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Aggies, the Lady Cats hosted the Stars of Oklahoma City University as part of a four game homestand. Earlier in the season, the Lady Cats defeated the Stars in a nail biter, 60-59, in Oklahoma City.

Blythe Benefield scored the first points of the game after grabbing an offensive rebound and Logan Jones followed with a mid-range bucket off the assist from Susie Moran. Benefield put up another basket and the Lady Cats took an early 6-2 lead. Logan Jones took a pass from Benfield to add another bucket, and the Lady Cat defense was setting the tone on the other end. Moran added back-to-back layups before Benefield scored off an offensive rebound to bump the lead to 14-2, and forcing a Stars timeout. Abbey Linville drilled a three after a couple of scoreless possessions to add to the lead, and another Moran rebound and putback extended the advantage. Linville hit another three off an assist from Taylor Rush, Moran connected on a pair of free throws, and Keara Mattingley got in on the action with a mid-range jumper to extend the Lady Cat lead to 26-9. The Stars made one more basket, and the quarter ended with the Lady Cats up 26-11.

The Stars scored four unanswered in the first two minutes of the quarter, before a Susie Moran layup broke the brief Lady Cat silence. The Stars continued to chip away at the deficit, going on an 11-2 run early in the frame. Logan Jones ended the run with a jumper, but the Stars immediately answered. Taylor Rush added a three to keep the Lady Cat lead at nine and Susie Moran added to her point total with a pair from the charity stripe. Taylor Rush drilled a deep three at the buzzer to close out the half, and the Lady Cat lead was 38-24 at the intermission.

Logan Jones opened the scoring in the second half, completing a traditional three-point play. Moran added a trio of free throws, Benefield added to her point total with a layup, and Logan Jones nailed a three to continue the Lady Cats’ hot hand. Moran made another contested layup inside and Taylor Rush drilled back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 57-30. Abbey Linville and Savannah Ketchum each connected on a pair of free throws and the Lady Cats were in full control. Avery Arnold jumped into the scoring column with a three, and Savannah Ketchum added a trip of free throws to induce another Stars timeout. With 2:04 left in the quarter, Allyssa Joyner got in the scoring column with a mid-range jumper and Savannah Ketchum added another layup as the Lady Cats continued to dominate. Avery Arnold connected on a pair of free throws to end the quarter with the Lady Cats leading 72-40.

After six straight points from the Stars to open the final stanza, Savannah Ketchum grabbed an offensive rebound and put the Lady Cats on the board. Lauren Jones joined in with a layup, and with 5:56 remaining, the Lady Cats led 76-51. Lauren Jones added two more points after an offensive rebound and the Stars took another timeout. Keara Mattingley made a layup, and the Stars answered with a layup of their own. Fallon Bowman scored inside, and that would conclude the scoring as the Lady Cats added another large victory to their season, winning 82-57.

Susie Moran led the team in both points and rebounds, with 17 and 20, respectively, despite playing limited minutes due to foul trouble. Taylor Rush and Logan Jones added 12 points each while Blythe Benefield dished out 5 assists.

The Lady Cats play again at home on Thursday, January 9 at 6 PM against the Trailblazers of UNT Dallas.