BOX SCORE

Austin, Texas – Shamika Singleton and Brianna Smith netted 14 points apiece in leading the Concordia University Texas women's basketball team to a convincing 84-65 triumph over Ozarks on Saturday, Jan. 8 at the Concordia Field House. The Tornados, who were facing an opponent with a winning ledger for the sixth time in seven games, led wire-to-wire and showcased their depth by outscoring Ozarks' bench, 40-17, to record their second straight victory.

Smith canned four 3-pointers in the opening 4:28 to give the Tornados a quick 16-3 advantage. However, the Eagles fought back and cut the deficit to single digits at 22-14 when Sabrina Goddard drove in for a layup just past the midway point of the opening frame.

Concordia (5-6, ASC 4-4) responded with an 11-4 run to jump ahead by 15 points, which was capped by a long jumper by Deja Thomas, but the Eagles back again and made it a one-possession game, 37-35, courtesy of Ashley Teaugue's field goal with 1:27 left. The Tornados found themselves ahead at halftime by a 42-37 score after Goddard nailed a jumper in the paint before time expired.

The beginning of the second half was tightly contested before Concordia finally broke loose with 10 unanswered to take a 63-50 lead with 11:18 remaining. After Phillips cut the Tornado lead to three with a layup, Singleton scored five points in a span of 50 seconds in addition to recording two rebounds and a steal to put her team ahead by eight. Kaleigh Landry and Alex O'Neal capped the run with a 15-foot jumper and a 3-pointer, respectively. The Tornados led by double digits the rest of the way and ballooned their advantage to as many as 21 before holding on for the 19-point margin of victory.

Singleton finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals, which were all registered in the second half, to lead Concordia. Smith netted her 14 points due in large part to making all four of her attempts from beyond the arc. Margaret Milling and Skylar Lott contributed 10 points apiece off the bench, while O'Neal had her most impressive performance to date with eight points, seven assists and five steals. Ozarks (7-7, ASC 3-6) was paced by Goddard, who had a double-double by scoring 18 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. April Young finished with 15 points, while Lacey Phillips was solid with seven points, eight boards and five assists.

Concordia will look to close out its three-game homestand with an unblemished record in a rematch against Mary Hardin-Baylor on Monday, Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. The Tornados will look to avenge last Monday's 60-51 loss to the Cru in Belton.