Lady Pioneers Crush Capitol Hill 72-15 Behind Defense

The Lady Pioneers wasted no time establishing dominance Tuesday night, using a relentless full-court press to dismantle Capitol Hill 72-15 at the Pioneer Field House.

Stillwater's aggressive defensive scheme forced turnover after turnover in the opening quarter, allowing the Lady Pioneers to race out to a commanding 29-1 lead. The Red Wolves never recovered from the early onslaught.

"Really we're just trying to every day just get a little bit better," head coach Talby Justus said. "Not really focusing on wins and losses a lot because we always want to win. But our focus just needs to be on just becoming a better team every time we step foot on the floor."

The Lady Pioneers converted defensive pressure into easy baskets throughout the first quarter. Capitol Hill struggled to advance the ball against Stillwater's trapping defense, leading to numerous fast-break opportunities. The Lady Pioneers outscored the Red Wolves 16-9 in the second quarter to take a 45-10 halftime advantage.

Stillwater continued to build on its lead in the second half, adding eight points in the third quarter while holding Capitol Hill to just four. The Lady Pioneers finished with a 19-1 fourth-quarter advantage to close out the dominant performance.

Sophomore Ava Marsh (1) paced the balanced offensive attack with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a three-pointer. Graycie Murray (11) contributed eight points on 2-of-3 shooting and added a game-high six assists while converting all four of her free-throw attempts.

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Freshman Amya Bell (2) added seven points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer. Junior Ashtyn Yates (21) scored six points on 3-of-5 shooting, while sophomore Sai Kolone (14) also tallied six points despite a challenging shooting night.

Senior Avery Bidelspach (31) and freshman Mikayla McFarlin (23) each contributed six points as well. The depth of scoring reflected Justus' ability to rotate players throughout the lopsided contest.

Junior Chloe Henderson (3), senior Khalia Moore (10), junior Reagan Bell (33), and senior Baylor Citizen (50) each added four points. Sophomore Grace Tonga (20), sophomore Jacey Streeter (12), sophomore Michelle Kolone (15), and freshman Emma Udoka (5) also found the scoring column with two points apiece.

"It's great," Justus said of getting extended playing time for the entire roster. "I mean, those kids, everybody comes and works hard and practice every single day, and it's great when you have a chance to see everybody get out there and compete and play."

Justus, a Stillwater native, returned to his hometown in summer 2025 to lead the Lady Pioneers program. The 26-year coaching veteran brings extensive experience from both the high school and college levels. During 13 years at Oklahoma high schools, Justus led Glencoe to its first state championship in 2006 and built Ripley's girls program into an area tournament contender with a 68-18 record over his final three seasons there. He also spent 13 years coaching at the college level, including seven seasons at UT Arlington where he helped the Lady Mavericks capture their first Sun Belt Conference regular season championship in 2018-19, and time at Tulsa and New Mexico State Junior College.

The Lady Pioneers demonstrated their defensive prowess with five steals from Murray and four from Bidelspach. The team grabbed 48 rebounds compared to Capitol Hill's 16, thoroughly controlling the paint throughout the game.

Stillwater's next challenge comes Friday when the Lady Pioneers travel to Moore. Justus expects a significant step up in competition.

Stillwater head coach Talby Justus watches from the bench during the Lady Pioneers' 72-15 victory over Capitol Hill Tuesday night at the Pioneer Field House. Justus, a Stillwater native and 26-year coaching veteran, returned to his hometown in summer 2025 to lead the Lady Pioneers program. – Photos by Chris Peters

"They're gonna test us, there's no question," Justus said. "I would say that that's gonna be the best team we've played up to this point. And so we'll go up there and just, again, just kind of see how we do with that test, but I think that I've watched a little bit on them and they're very athletic. And it's gonna be a good game, so we're excited about going up there and competing."

The Lady Pioneers will tip off at Moore on Friday night as they look to build on their early-season momentum.