#MustangsWin! CBC Opens The Season With Strong Performance Against Baptist Bible!

Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director

            Springfield, Mo. – Opening the 2022-23 season away from home, Central Baptist College women's basketball took on the Patriots of Baptist Bible College tonight at Dowell Fieldhouse. CBC (1-0) led at halftime and fought off an early fourth quarter deficit to beat BBC (0-1) 83-74.

            Four Mustangs finished in double figures and all four were career highs as Lydia York led the way with 22 points while Caroline Citty chipped in with 15, Tamara Christmas had 14 in her Lady Mustang debut and Diana Rivera posted 13 points. Olivia Lambrigtsen had 10 rebounds in her Lady Mustang debut and helped CBC outrebound BBC 45-37. The free throw line was the difference in the contest as the Lady Mustangs went 27-38 (71 percent) at the line and BBC went 11-19 (58 percent).

            Lambrigtsen scored the first bucket of the season for CBC 28 seconds into the game before BBC tied the game and then took a short lived lead before York tied the score at 5-5 with the first of her five three-pointers on the night (also a career-high). The two teams would trade baskets until the 1:41 mark in the first quarter when BBC started an 7-0 run to close the quarter to lead 18-11 after one.

            Another York three four seconds into the second quarter triggered a quarter-opening 6-0 run for CBC as they were able to trim the deficit to one. BBC responded by stretching the deficit to five before three straight baskets by Christmas gave CBC the lead at 23-22. After BBC retook the lead, another three by York made it 26-25 with 3:58 left in the second and Rivera stretched the lead to three 40 seconds later. Back-to-back threes from York and Citty moved the lead to 34-25 with 2:04 left in the first half and then free throws by Rivera stretched the lead to 11, the largest of the game, 23 seconds later. Rhys Anderson and York combined to score the final six points of a 31-point second quarter for CBC to give them a 42-34 lead at the break.

            A jumper from Lambrigtsen pushed the lead back to 10 early in the third quarter and a jumper from Rivera two possessions later gave CBC a 46-37 lead before BBC went on an 11-2 run to tie the score at 48 with 5:47 left in the third. A free throw to finish a three-point play gave BBC the lead back at 49-48 before back-to-back Christmas jumpers put the Lady Mustangs back on top by three. BBC re-tied the score at 52 apiece before Anderson's jumper with 2:55 left gave CBC the 54-52 lead. Five straight points from BBC gave them a 57-54 lead with 43 seconds left before CBC tied the score just before the quarter ended to enter the fourth tied at 57.

            A pair of Citty free throws to open the final quarter gave the Lady Mustangs a 59-57 lead but a three from the Patriots gave them the lead right back. With nine minutes to play, another jumper from Christmas made it 61-60 before another of BBC's 14 threes gave them a 63-61 lead. Another jumper from Christmas with 7:27 left tied the score at 63 and a free throw by Citty with 5:23 left gave CBC a 64-63 lead and they would not let that lead slip, holding on and stretching the lead to nine at two different points to end the game.

            CBC opens the A.R. Reddin Fieldhouse portion of the schedule on Thursday when they welcome the Warriors of Bacone College to Conway. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.