WILBURTON---Connors State battled back from an 18-point deficit to send its game into overtime against arch rival Eastern State on the Lady Mountaineers.
The result was a heart breaking 72-66 loss, their fifth consecutive defeat, as Eastern State took home the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference win.
Cowgirls will hit the road again on Thursday at Seminole State with a 17-6 overall record and 4-6 OCAC play.
"We just made too many turnovers," said Coach Jamie Fisher. "We fought back from 18 down then started turning the ball over and they would score. I bet we had 20-plus turnovers."
In the overtime the Mountaineers outscored the Cowgirls 11-5, scoring the first six points of the five-minute period, jumping out to a 67-61 advantage.
Connors cut the lead to three points on a Caylin Livers trey, who led the Connors scoring with 18 points. The Cowgirls finished with 12 treys from behind the arc. But it wasn't enough for the Cowgirls.
The Cowgirls only lead of the first half was an opening trey by Livers to start the game .
Connors trailed at the half 37-20 and by 18 points, 52-34 at the 3:15 mark of the third quarter.
That's when the Cowgirls found their shooting touch going on a 16-2 run cutting the Eastern lead to 54-52 with 6:22 remaining in the game.
Tateum Jones then tied the game at 61-61 with 1:20 remaining. That's the way it ended in regulation, as neither team could manage a basket the rest of the way.
Connors' Cheyanne Crain missed a shot at the buzzer which would have given the Cowgirls the win, but the ball bounced off the rim.
Eastern was 16-of-28 at the free throw line, while Connors was 1-of-4 at the stripe.
EASTERN STATE 72, CONNORS STATE 66 (0T)
Connors State 11 14 14 22 5-66
Eastern State 17 20 15 9 11—72
Connors State (17-6, 4-6)—Livers 18, McCallister 15, La. Wright 10, Crain 8, Reid 6, Ludlow 4, T. Jones 4, Maxwell 1.
Eastern State (14-10, 6-4) — Simmons 22, Davis 17, Myles 10, Williams 10, Ezekiel 7, Moore 4, Norton 2.