The Odessa College women's basketball team was in desperate need of a victory.

The No. 23 Lady Wranglers had dropped four of five WJCAC contests during a two and a half week stretch that saw the squad slip to fifth place and out of a Region V tournament spot.

With last-place Clarendon College in town, OC took advantage, knocking off the Bulldogs 101-45 Monday night at the OC Sports Center.

"This was very important. I can't overstate how important this win was," OC head coach Ara Baten said. "When you're struggling, you've kinda got to play your way out of it. I hope a game like this helps us fight our way out of it."

Shelby Richards led the offensive outburst for the Lady Wranglers, racking up a season-high 29 points on 10 of 16 from the field.

"I just think that we're really coming together," Richards said after the win.

The Lady Wranglers (16-8, 5-5) defense was stout from the opening tip, holding Clarendon (5-22, 0-11) to only 26.4 percent from the field.

"They're dealing with some injuries and it's been a tough year for them," Baten said of the Bulldogs.

After a stagnant first quarter, the Lady Wranglers began to find their rhythm on offense.

OC outscored Clarendon 20-8 in the second quarter to take a 17-point lead into halftime. The Lady Wranglers struggled with their shooting throughout the half, hitting just 30.6 percent from the field, but OC was able to make 10 of 12 from the free-throw line to get some breathing room in the opening 20 minutes.

Out of the halftime break, the Lady Wranglers picked up where they left off in the second quarter, scoring 11 of the first 13 points to push the lead to 44-18 and put the game away.

OC closed the game by putting up 36 points in the fourth quarter.

Lorena Hubbard recorded her sixth double-double of the season in the OC victory, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

The OC bench stepped up and nearly outscored Clarendon on its own, finishing with 40 points.

Daniela Molinar notched 15 points for the reserves, tripling her previous season high of five.

The Lady Wranglers' victory coupled with a loss by South Plains College to New Mexico Junior College Monday put OC back in fourth place in the WJCAC standings after South Plains dropped to 5-6.

OC will be off for a week before hitting the road to face Western Texas College, who sits above only Clarendon in WJCAC play.

"We've got to make one good hard push here toward the end of our season," Baten said. "For us, it's finding the right kind of energy and defending with the right kind of energy. We know what to do. When the girls execute things offensively and defensively, they play well. It's just a matter of coming in and getting the focus right."

Article by Joshua Perry OA