JACKSON, Tenn. - Eighth-seeded Harris-Stowe State College (Mo.) Hornets pulled off a 73-64 upset over first-seeded Oklahoma City University Stars, rallying from a 6-point halftime deficit for the first-round victory at the 28^th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship that began Wednesday.

Senior guard Erica Anderson scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half, knocking down 6-of-8 from the field after halftime as the Hornets made 70 percent (14-of-20) of their second-half field goal attempts. Senior guard Chanel Ross scored a game-high 19 points, and junior forward Sheri Jones added 18 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.

Oklahoma City led by as many as 8 points in the first half, the last time at 30-22 with just under 4 minutes remaining in the period, before settling for a 33-27 halftime advantage. Five minutes into the second half, the Stars still led by 5 points, 39-34, before Harris-Stowe State scored 7 straight points to start an 11-2 run that gave the Hornets a 45-41 lead with 9:43 left in the game.

The Stars answered with junior guard Chelsea Ledbetter's three pointer to trim the margin to 45-44, and another Oklahoma City three pointer from sophomore forward Laura Duncan kept the Stars within 2 points at 49-47 with 7:35 to play. Ross hit 1 of Harris-Stowe State's 3 second-half 3-pointers during a 9-2 run that pushed the lead to 58-49 with 5:19 to play, and the Hornets led by at least 6 points the rest of the way.

The victory was the first national tournament win in program history for Harris-Stowe State, which was making its second national tournament appearance. A year ago, the Hornets were a No. 8 seed that nearly upset eventual national semifinalist Vanguard in a 74-64 opening-round loss.

Oklahoma City, which finishes the season with a 28-5 record, suffered its first opening-round defeat in 11 national tournament appearances since 1994, a run that included four consecutive NAIA championships and another three title game appearances in a seven-year run from 1999 to 2005. The Stars were led by Breezy Martins' 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, and senior forward Mikelle Brown was the only other Oklahoma City player in double figures with 10 points. The Stars were limited to 21 percent (8-for-38) shooting from the field in the second half.

Harris-Stowe State improves to 23-9 and advances to a second-round matchup on Friday, March 21 at 10:45 a.m., where the Hornets will take on the winner of today's Carroll (Mont.)/Westmont (Calif.) game.