Robinson, Roethlisberger and revenge.
Senior guard Danielle Robinson and senior forward Carlee Roethlisberger led the Sooners, who were seeking revenge for a 61-56 loss at the end of the regular season, against Texas Tech Wednesday night.
OU triumphed over the Lady Raiders, 71-69, in the quarterfinals of the Big12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
Robinson finished the game with 19 points, and Roethlisberger added 18 in a game that was fiercely competitive from the beginning.
Six early points from Robinson gave the Sooners a 13-4 lead with 13:52 to play in the first half, forcing a Tech timeout.
The Lady Raiders responded with a 6-0 run to close within three, 13-10.
OU played the half at full-speed but was hampered by 11 turnovers, and Tech took advantage.
In the minute before halftime, Tech took its first lead of the game, 33-32. It carried a narrow 35-33 lead into halftime.
The senior duo of Robinson and Roethlisberger led OU scorers with eight points in the first half, despite spending the final minutes of half on the bench with two fouls.
Roethlisberger downed six points to kick off the second half and put the Sooners back up on Tech. Freshman guard Morgan Hook’s 3-point shot gave OU the 55-50 lead with 11 minutes to play.
Tech battled back to tie it, 63-63, with six minutes to play. More troubling for OU, though, was Robinson picking up her fourth foul.
OU led Tech, 68-66, going into the final two minutes, but the brand of basketball turned ugly down the stretch. Both offenses looked sloppy, and OU missed opportunities at the free-throw line and in the paint.
It all came down to the final two minutes.
Robinson put the Sooners up, 70-66, with a pair of free throws, and Tech came up empty on the other end as the clock ticked under a minute.
After Roethlisberger went 1-for-2 at the free throw line, the Lady Raiders closed, 71-69, with a 3-point basket. An airball by Robinson gave Tech its first attempt at an equalizer, but a steal by freshman guard Aaryn Ellenberg stalled the Lady Raider response.
Ellenberg missed the lay-up, and the Lady Raiders took their second opportunity to tie the Sooners, but OU ended Tech’s hopes by grabbing the final rebound.
OU will play Texas A&M on Friday in the semifinals.
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