The Odessa College women's basketball team was far from its best on Thursday night, but like most championship-caliber squads, it found a way to win anyway.

The No. 1 Lady Wranglers held No. 19 Midland College without a field goal in the fourth quarter to erase an 11-point deficit and come out with a 50-49 victory in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play at the Chaparral Center.

The Lady Wranglers (18-0 overall, 6-0 WJCAC) led only twice throughout the entire contest, after the first basket of the game and after the final one.

Trailing 49-47 with 1:40 left in the game, Chinna Fair put Odessa College up for the first time in 38 minutes with a 3-pointer from the right corner. It was Fair's only 3-point basket on six attempts.

"It was a lot of relief," Fair said. "We tried the whole game to come back, but we just had to take it one possession at a time."

Fair wasn't alone in her struggles from the field. Odessa College hit just 18 of 75 from the field and 3 of 27 from behind the arc, but its pressure on defense also bogged down the Lady Chaparrals (12-7, 3-4) and kept the Lady Wranglers within striking distance.

"We just kept playing our game and had trust in each other," Fair said. "We just kept playing as a team."

Odessa College forced 22 turnovers out of Midland College, including nine in the fourth quarter. The Lady Chaparrals also had their troubles shooting throughout the game, most notably the 0-for-13 stretch in the fourth quarter that allowed Odessa College to fight its way back into the contest.

The Lady Wranglers began the fourth on an 11-0 run to tie the game with 6:30 remaining, but for the next five minutes, neither offense hit a shot from the field. Midland College scored on three free throw attempts while Odessa College hit one during a five-minute stretch prior to Fair's 3-pointer.

The Lady Chaparrals had a few opportunities to regain the lead, but couldn't covert. The final attempt came after gathering a rebound with eight seconds remaining to play.

Midland College sprinted down the court and found Matangiroa Flavell on the left wing. Flavell pump faked from the 3-point line and began to drive but couldn't get an attempt off before the buzzer sounded.

"I thought Midland battled and competed," Odessa College head coach Ara Baten said. "They took the fight to us from the beginning. I've got a lot of respect for Coach (Ron) Jones. His kids competed hard."

Midland College built its advantage with a strong finish to the first quarter. The Lady Chaparrals used a 10-1 run to open a nine-point lead at the end of the frame. The lead remained in a six-point range between seven and 13 points for the next two quarters and the stagnant Lady Wranglers' offense couldn't find a way to cut into the deficit.

"I just thought they did a really nice job defensively," Baten said. "They closed off penetration lanes for us. They played good post defense and when you do those thing and we're not making perimeter shots, it's pretty tough."

Odessa Colleges's fortunes turned early in the fourth when the Lady Wranglers finally made a couple of shots, while forcing Midland College to turn the ball over on four of its first five possessions.

The Lady Chaparrals controlled the rebounding department, gathering 56 to the Lady Wranglers' 43. Midland College didn't find much more luck shooting than Odessa College, making just 29 percent from the field including 2 of 13 from 3-point range.

The Lady Wranglers will be back home next week with contests against Frank Phillips College and New Mexico Junior College on Monday and Thursday.

Article by Joshua Perry OA