FORT WORTH, Texas - Lauren Decker scored 21 points to lead 20th-ranked Oklahoma Christian past Texas Wesleyan, 69-62, Tuesday evening at the Sid Richardson Gymnasium.

     Decker connected on 7-of-20 from the field and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. She scored 14 points in the second half.

     Oklahoma Christian (3-0) jumped to an early 7-2 lead as Decker made two layups and a free throw. The Lady Eagles extended the lead to 26-19, with Tasha Turney scoring nine points during that stretch.

     Texas Wesleyan (0-1) fought back to tie the score, 26-26, using a 7-0 run, capped off by bucket by junior Shayla Coleman. The two teams traded buckets to end the first half, as Oklahoma Christian went into the break with a 32-31 lead.

     In the second half, the Lady Rams started strong, going on an 18-10 run. Freshman Shamona Hollingsworth led the way with five points to put Texas Wesleyan ahead 49-42, with 9:26 to play.

     However, the Lady Eagles would not be denied, as Decker scored 13 straight points for Oklahoma Christian, to knot the score, 55-55, at the 5:29 mark.

     Oklahoma Christian went on a 14-7 run down the stretch. Sarah Stanley scored the games final three points on three free throws.

     "I am proud of our girls for fighting back," head coach Stacy Francis said. "We are a young team and have a lot to work on. We were right there with one of the better teams in the country."

     On the night, the Lady Rams shot 42 percent (21-54), but shot only 36.7 percent (11-30) in the second half. They held Oklahoma Christian to 32.8 percent shooting, but OCU shot 75 percent (24-32) from the charity stripe and 81 percent (13-16) in the second half. Texas Wesleyan outrebounded the Lady Eagles, 44-43, but its efforts were wasted as they committed 29 turnovers.

     "We didn't take care of the ball tonight," Francis said. "When you shoot yourself in the foot so many times it is hard to come back from it."

     Coleman and Kashae Townsend led Texas Wesleyan with 12 points each. Townsend finished with a double-double in her first game in a Lady Ram uniform as she tallied 11 rebounds. She was also a perfect six-for-six from the free-throw line.

     The Lady Rams will be back in action Tuesday, November 18, when they host St. Gregory's at 5:30 p.m. at the Sid Richardson Gymnasium.