OU women’s basketball will hobble into postseason play after a 61-56 loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, to close out the regular season.
Oklahoma already clinched the No. 3 seed in next weekend’s Big 12 tournament, but OU did not play like a top seed in the second half Saturday.
Oklahoma shot 20.7 percent from the field and was 0-of-8 from the 3-point line in the second half.
All-American senior guard Danielle Robinson struggled with foul trouble and totaled only seven points, her second-lowest total this season. OU’s offensive leaders were freshmen guard Aaryn Ellenberg with 16 and freshman center Nicole Griffin with 14.
Despite a poor second-half performance, the first half was all OU.
Texas Tech, a team that recently upset then-No. 1 Baylor, matched the Sooners early, but after five minutes OU went on a 9-0 run to outpace the Lady Raiders, 18-9.
Texas Tech wouldn’t let OU get too far with a 7-0 run of its own, narrowing the OU lead, 18-16, with 9:26 left in the half.
Texas Tech tied the game, 28-28 with 2:38 to play before halftime, but Griffin broke the momentary tie with a bucket on the ensuing possession.
OU shot 58 percent from the field in the first half but turned the ball over 12 times. The Sooners entered the locker room with a 35-31 advantage.
Ellenberg led the OU offense from the 3-point line, going 4-for-6 in the first half.
OU controlled the tempo in the first half, but the momentum shifted to the Lady Raiders in the second. Texas Tech opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take the 41-37 lead.
Robinson collected her fourth foul after only seven minutes, and senior Carlee Roethlisberger joined Robinson on the bench with four of her own. The forward eventually fouled out with five minutes to play.
With 5:05 left, the Lady Raiders extended their lead, 56-48, while OU struggled from the field. OU had only 21 second-half points.
Despite poor shooting, Oklahoma had a chance at the end.
OU cut the Texas Tech lead to three, 56-53, with two minutes to play, and Griffin made it a one-point game with two points in the paint.
The Lady Raiders led, 57-55, with under a minute to play, but an empty possession by OU and a quick foul allowed Texas Tech to made it a two-possession game, 59-55, and put a win out of OU’s reach.
OU finished the season 10-6 in the Big 12 and will still enter the Big 12 tournament this weekend in Kansas City as the No. 3 seed.
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