Lloyd Noble Center will be rocking to a sold-out crowd Saturday when women’s basketball hosts Oklahoma State in the annual Bedlam battle.
The Sooners are returning from a disappointing road loss to Texas A&M and will be looking to get back into the win column.
The only thing stopping a Sooner comeback is OSU, namely junior guard Andrea Riley.
Riley averages more than 23 points per game and is the Cowgirls’ leader. Her quickness and eagerness to have the ball make her a tough force to defend.
OU head coach Sherri Coale said it will take the entire Sooner team on the floor knowing where Riley is to be successful against OSU.
“I don’t think you can really contain her,” Coale said. “She’s too quick and it’s impossible to keep her from catching the ball, but that’s what you like to do with great players is limit their touches.”
While Riley’s numbers are impressive, the success of the Cowgirls tends to depend on her supporting cast.
The Sooners made the trip to Stillwater earlier in the season, and while Riley came up with an impressive 25 points, it was not enough for OSU as they fell to the Sooners 93-75.
It would be easy for OU to remember the double-digit win and assume a similar result, but with freshman guard Whitney Hand on the bench and the atmosphere of a Bedlam game, OU is not taking anything for granted.
“I just think because it’s Bedlam everybody just comes competitive,” junior guard Nyeshia Stevenson said. “It’s just something that OU and OSU have done and to keep it alive it’s just always going to be competitive.”
Bedlam will be the second time Stevenson will start, filling in for the injured Hand.
Coale said while it is hard to tell what kind of changes come with Stevenson in the starting lineup, getting to practice as a part of the starting five will only help in Saturday’s game.
While Bedlam always brings an intense atmosphere, sophomore guard Danielle Robinson said she enjoys those type of games.
“I think it’s the atmosphere of the whole game,” Robinson said. “Whether it’s up in Stillwater or in Norman, and you can definitely tell it’s a rivalry for sure.”
With a win, OU will sweep the Bedlam series this year after splitting the games last season.
Tip-off is at noon Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center.
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