The Odessa College women’s basketball team was run out of the gym when it faced New Mexico Junior College to open the calendar year on Jan. 7 in Hobbs, N.M.
Thursday, in the rematch, the Lady Wranglers exacted a measure of revenge.
Chelsy Baustista scored a game-high 19 points off the bench to lead Odessa College to a 57-47 victory against the Lady T-Birds at the OC Sports Center.
Nahawa Diarra Berthe added 12 points and Ivan Krajina finished with 10 as the Lady Wranglers improved to 11-8 overall, 4-3 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play.
Odessa College remained in fourth place in the conference standings
Sandra Magolico scored 11 points to lead New Mexico JC (18-3, 6-2).
The Lady T-Birds won the first meeting, 77-57.
“We watched that game video yesterday,” Odessa College head coach Franqua Bedell said. “I made them watch the entire thing.”
Odessa College was in control from the start, leading by two (11-9) after one quarter and four (24-20) at halftime.
The Lady Wranglers added to the lead in the third quarter (39-32) and then Bautista and Berthe took over the fourth quarter.
They combined to score all 18 points in the final period for Odessa College with Bautista leading the way with 10.
Berthe opened the quarter with a 10-foot bank shot, followed by a drive for a layup.
She drove the lane a second time for an acrobatic layup to extend the Lady Wranglers’ lead to 45-38.
Bautista then drove to the basket for a layup, connected on an 18-foot jumper, watched Berthe finish a fast break, and then hit three consecutive layups.
Odessa College returns to the court at Clarendon College on Monday.
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
