Oklahoma City outscored MidAmerica Nazarene, 27-16, in the final quarter to stop the Pioneers’ quest for back-to-back championships.
Defending champion MNU (18-14) had a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but OCU used a 13-6 run to open the stanza and went on to win, 73-63.
Oklahoma City (30-2) got a double-double from the NAIA’s leading scorer, Daniela Wallen, who put in 20 points to go with 10 rebounds.
Daniela Galindo also had 17 points in the win, while Brooke Irvin recorded nine points and seven boards.
Whitney Moia led the way for the Pioneers with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds on the day.
Oklahoma City, the No. 2 seed in the Cramer Bracket, will next play at 11:45 CDT against the winner of Columbia (Mo.) and Montana Western.