Nov. 15 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College at Sedalia, Missouri

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Lady Roadrunners fell to the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Lady Norse in a hard-fought 72-69 battle in the opening round of the SFCC Classic on Friday inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

SFCC trailed by two points at the end of one quarter. The Lady Roadrunners fought back to take a 35-33 lead at halftime on a shot from freshman guard Laila McNeal of Chicago, Illinois as time expired. The Lady Norse used a big third quarter to take control of the game and a late SFCC surge in the fourth quarter came up short.

"Our kids battled tonight," said Lady Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "We had solid contributions from the bench. It was by far our best ballgame so far this season."

Freshman guard/forward Darlisha Reed of Gary, Indiana registered a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds leading SFCC in both categories.  McNeal added 12 points and sophomore guard/forward Nadia Thorman-McKey of Evanston, Illinois also added 12 points. Freshman guard Aleah Bell of Margate, Florida dished out a team-high five assists. McNeal, Bell, and Thorman-McKey all tied for the team lead in steals with two.

Nov. 16 John Wood Community College at Sedalia, Missouri

SFCC (1-6) picked up their first victory of the season on Saturday, Nov. 16, defeating John Wood Community College 83-81 to close out their portion of the SFCC Classic.

The Blazers missed a shot that would have tied the game on the final possession. The game featured 13 lead changes and three ties.

"I know our team wanted to win this game bad," said Lady Roadrunners Assistant Coach Jade Perry. "It just came down to heart. I know this win will definitely give our team some confidence. We had some tough losses this season, including one yesterday.  We have to continue to stay positive and keep moving forward."

Thorman-McKey had a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds. She also led her team in blocked shots with two and tied for the team lead in steals with two. Freshman guard Paula Barrientos of Puerto Montt, Chile also had a pair of steals. Reed registered another double-double with 19 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. Freshman guard Ryann Haynes of St. Louis, Missouri also pitched in with 19 points. McNeal dished out a team-high five assists.

David Rohrbach SFCC Athletics