The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell 79-58 to Central Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon in Edmond, Okla.

The Lady Lions fell behind immediately, but freshman, Charisse Williams showed maturity and determination by scoring the first five points including a three-pointer.  Jenny Rocha tied the game at 7-7 at the 7:50 mark in the first quarter, but Lindenwood was held scoreless for nearly three minutes.  Kassidy Gengenbacher scored to pull Lindenwood within five points, but again, the Lady Lions offensive production was scarce for the next 2:48.  CeCe Rapp and Williams closed out the first quarter scoring the remaining six points as Lindenwood was behind 21-15 at the break.

The Lady Lions scored just seven points in the third quarter, all of the points coming from the two freshmen, Williams and Rapp.  Lindenwood fell behind 37-22 at the half on the shoulders of Williams who had 10 points, and Rapp with eight points.  Four Lady Lions tallied three or more rebounds in the first half, but allowed 15 points off of turnovers in the third quarter alone.

Gengenbacher drained a three-pointer to kick-off the third quarter to spark a big quarter for the Lady Lions.  Williams and Rapp continued to step up for Lindenwood, allowing Gengenbacher to knock down another three-pointer, pulling Lindenwood within six points.  Central Oklahoma could not be stopped on the offensive end, but a technical foul by the Bronchos shifted the momentum to the Lady Lions.  Lindenwood sent Gengenbacher to the line to take the bonus strokes, and she nailed both shots. 

Beth Maenpaa scored a bucket in the paint, and the third three-pointer of the day for Gengenbacher was big one.  The three-pointer pulled Lindenwood within five points, and it was the 164th career made three-pointer for Gengenbacher to give her the all-time lead in school history.  Rapp was able to pull Lindenwood within three points, but the Bronchos ended the third quarter with a 53-45 lead.

The Lady Lions scored just six points until the 1:40 mark in the fourth quarter and dug a hole too deep.  Lindenwood fell 79-58 to Central Oklahoma as the Lady Lions turned the ball over 24 times, which allowed the Bronchos to score 29 points.  Rapp had a phenomenal game with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.  Williams finished with 14, while Gengenbacher got hot in the second half to finish with 17 points and snagged six rebounds.  Rocha moved up in the record books in career assists, as she ended her day with six points, four rebounds, and eight assists.

Head Coach Tony Francis felt that his team played a much closer game than that of the final score.

The score does not indicate the passion and intensity the ladies played with," said Francis.  "Kassidy led with great toughness and I felt the rest of the team followed her."  Francis added, "The team will hang their hat on today's third quarter and use it as we look forward to the next step."

The loss will set Lindenwood back to 7-14 on the year and 3-12 in the MIAA.  The Lady Lions will remain on the road on Thursday as they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to take on No. 6 Missouri Western at 5:30 p.m.