The No. 3 women’s basketball team proved in convincing fashion Sunday afternoon that they are one of the top teams in the nation after an 89-69 rout of No. 14 Texas.

The Sooners were looking for redemption after the Longhorns scored a come from behind win in Norman last season.

Sophomore guard Danielle Robinson said the Sooners remembered how the Longhorns fought back last season.

“We remember the game from last year when we had a double digit lead and they came back,” Robinson said.

OU and Texas came out of the gate looking for a big conference win, but both teams were sloppy and scrappy from the beginning. The Sooners and Longhorns both had turnover issues in the first half with 11 turnovers each.

Senior center Courtney Paris took over the offensive game for OU early by pulling down offensive rebounds and putting them back in.

Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors said the Sooners hurt Texas down low.

“They just kicked our tail on the boards,” Goestenkors said.

OU was successful down low, but the Sooners were not able to establish an outside presence throughout the first half. OU went 1-6 from behind the arch.

The Sooners established a small lead and went into the locker room ahead 39-33.

When they came out, the Sooners picked up where they left off, with Robinson putting in a quick two-point bucket.

Texas made a few runs in the second half and even pulled within three, but OU came out of a time out and put the game away.

Head coach Sherri Coale said she was pleased with OU’s effort.

“I was really, really proud of our basketball team today,” Coale said. “I thought we competed on every possession; I thought our balance became evident; it was a good 40 minutes of basketball.”

Paris continued her dominance in the second half and put up one of her best games this season with 23 points and 21 rebounds.

Robinson controlled the Sooner offense from the point, and posted 18 points and eight assists. The sophomore also gave Texas fits on the defensive end.

“I really don’t think [Robinson] gets enough credit for her defense,” Goestenkors said. “She’s one of the best defensive players in the conference.”

Rebounds were key for the Sooners in a match up where OU out-rebounded Texas 46 to 27. At one point, Paris had more rebounds than the entire Longhorn team.

Coale said despite the positive rebounding numbers, there are still things her team needs to work on before March Madness.

“Well, making more free throws would be my immediate response,” Coale said. “I think to go deep in the tournament you’ve got to be able to go to the line and be predictably good there.”

With this win, OU is now 5-0 in the Big 12, and 2-0 against Big 12 South teams.

The Sooners now look down the road to Wednesday, when they travel to Waco to play No. 5 Baylor.

-Annelise Russell/The Daily

Paris pivotal in win against Texas

It was clear from the start of the game that the Texas Longhorns had no answer inside for senior center Courtney Paris.

In a game where the outside shots were not falling for the Sooners early, the offensive rebounding and inside scoring of Paris was vital in what eventually became a blowout win.

Paris scored from a variety of sets, ranging from pick and rolls with sophomore guard Danielle Robinson to high post, low post plays with senior forward Ashley Paris, and the Longhorns could not keep up.

“We were supposed to be fronting her and bringing help side, but it is hard to guard her when she’s in her zone,” Longhorns senior forward Ashley Lindsey said.

OU was able to maintain control of what was a close game in the first half, largely due to Courtney getting her 110th consecutive double-double early on.

And the senior didn’t slow down in the second half. Head coach Sherri Coale said she was impressed with Courtney’s game.

“I don’t know that there’s been a kid in college basketball play a better game than Courtney did tonight,” Coale said. “She was almost flawless. It was unbelievable.”

Paris finished the game with 23 points on 11-13 shooting, while grabbing 21 rebounds, 10 of which were on the offensive end of the floor.

Paris credited her offensive rebounding success to a strong supporting cast, which allowed her more space in the paint.

“As far as rebounds, especially with offensive ones, I’m playing with better kids now,” Paris said. “That means when a shot goes up, people are contesting that, so I have single coverage on the rebounds which makes it a lot easier to grab boards.”

The outside shots began falling for the Sooners in the second half, when they extended their lead to double digits for good .

OU’s ability to create offense through second-chance points when its outside shots weren’t falling, made the team a balanced threat Sunday afternoon, and Courtney showed that she is the anchor of a team that is getting stronger around her.

-Aaron Colen/The Daily