Oklahoma City – For the first time in program history, Mid-America Christian scored on an in-bounds play with nine seconds left from Caitlynn Jordan to earn a 71-70 victory over College of the Ozarks and the 2026 Sooner Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament title presented by Athletic Solutions. The championship game was played on Saturday evening at Abe Lemons Arena in Oklahoma City.
The beginning of the first quarter turned into a defensive battle as neither team was able to score. With the score tied at 4-4, Ashlen Garrett drilled a triple to give the Bobcats a 7-4 lead at the 5:24 mark in the period that started an 11-5 run to give College of the Ozarks a 15-9 lead. The Bobcats extended the lead in the second stanza as they shot nearly 43 percent from the field and hit three triples to a 34-26 advantage.
Both teams found their offensive stride in the third quarter as they both shot well from the field. College of the Ozarks extended the lead to 41-30 midway through the quarter after a Keara Mattingly three-point play, but the Evangels rallied later in the frame to cut the deficit to 50-48 after a Tailah Lee jumper with 1:05 left. The Bobcats scored four of the final points in the period to take a 54-49 lead into the final quarter.
The final 10 minutes were contested on both ends of the court as each team hit big shots, especially down the stretch. The Bobcats led the majority of the quarter, but Mia Smith drilled a three with 2:34 remaining to even the game at 66-66. Taliah Lee gave the Evangels their first lead of the game with a triple with 1:58 left to make the score 69-66. The Bobcats cut the lead to a single point before Logan Jones hit a jumper with 19 seconds left to put College of the Ozarks out in front 70-69. Jordan scored the winning bucket off an in-bounds play underneath the MACU goal to give the Evangels the win, as a last-ditch attempt by the Bobcats fell short.
Lee led the way for the Evangels with 31 points and nine rebounds, while Sincere Roberts chipped in with 12 points as Mid-America Christian improved to 25-6 on the year. Keara Mattingley paced the Bobcats with 23 points and seven boards while Ashlen Garrett poured in 15 markers as College of the Ozarks fell to 21-10.
The Evangels will collect the second SAC Automatic berth into the NAIA National Women’s Basketball Tournament and will find out their opponent this coming Thursday.
2026 SAC Women’s Basketball All-Tournament Team:
Most Outstanding Player – Taliah Lee, Mid-America Christian
Paris Miller, Nelson
Kameryn Phillips, Texas Wesleyan
Logan Jones, College of the Ozarks
Keara Mattingley, College of the Ozarks
Sincere Roberts, Mid-America Christian