Davlakou Scores 35 as USAO Falls Short at #12 WBU

PLAINVIEW, Texas – Saturday afternoon, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (12-9, 10-7 SAC) delivered an incredible effort, but came up short with an 85-78 loss on the road at No. 12 ranked Wayland Baptist University (18-2, 15-2 SAC). 

With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Drovers sit in fifth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the conference tournament, and the top four seeded teams will host the first round, prior to the tournament being moved to Langston University for the semifinals and finals. 

On Saturday, the Drovers used a strong start to command a 13-9 lead midway through the opening quarter. The Flying Queens kept attempting to cut away at the Drovers' lead and USAO took a slim 20-19 advantage into the second quarter. 

WBU caught fire early in the second quarter and held a 35-31 lead with five minutes until halftime. The Flying Queens proceeded to take a 49-40 lead into halftime, after outscoring USAO 30-20 in the second quarter.

Following the break, the Drovers gained momentum and trimmed their deficit to 56-52 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter. USAO pulled the score even at 64-64 with 56 seconds remining in the third, prior to WBU hitting a shot before the buzzer to give the Flying Queens a 2-point lead going into the fourth. USAO outscored WBU 24-17 in the third.

With less than four minutes to play in the game, the Drovers trailed 75-73, but that is as close as it would get, with the Flying Queens pulling away in the final minute.

USAO's offense closed the game shooting 28-69 (.406) from the field, 14-30 (.467) from beyond the arc, and 8-12 (.667) from the free-throw line. In comparison, WBU shot 32-68 (.471) from the field, 11-30 (.367) from deep, and 10-12 (.833) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers scored 12 points in the paint and hauled in 43 rebounds. In comparison, the Flying Queens scored 32 points in the paint and grabbed 40 rebounds. 

USAO committed seven turnovers, which led to seven points for WBU. Meanwhile, the Flying Queens fumbled the ball eight times, resulting in eight points for the Drovers.

USAO was whistled for 16 fouls, while WBU was called for 13 violations.

Evangelia Davlakou delivered one of the best performances in program history, concluding with 35 points on 13-25 shooting from the field, including 5-11 from three-point range. Davlakou also hauled in a team-high of seven rebounds, and a team-high of nine assists.

Franka Kraus was also spectacular offensively, scoring 16 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, and 4-5 from deep. Kraus also grabbed five rebounds. 

Devynn Harris finished with nine points and three rebounds, while Davielis Berroa scored eight points and hauled in six rebounds. 

Caroliena Diaz and Hannah Harris each scored three points. Madison Hays contributed two points, three rebounds, and seven assists. Ashley Gonzalez also scored two points.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will now head to Texas Wesleyan University on Saturday, February 1 in Fort Worth, Texas. The women's game is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 PM CT, followed by the men's game at 3:45 PM CT inside the Sid Richardson Center.

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