For 36 minutes and 30 seconds, Oklahoma stood face-to-face with the giant that is UConn women's basketball. They looked them in the eye as if to say "Bring it on."
But then reality hit.
And just like that, an upset that would have been remembered in Oklahoma lore, slipped from finger tips of the young Sooners team in the final minutes. But Oklahoma's (3-7) 72-63 loss — it was a one-point game with two minutes to go — to No. 1 UConn will still go down was one of the most gutsy and valiant efforts by a Sherri Coale team in 20 years.
"I couldn't be more proud of our team," a horse Coale said after the game. "I did not think that we were afraid. And most teams when they take the floor against Connecticut are afraid. They're intimidated... We were not afraid and that's huge. "
Dressed in an all cream suit and crocodile-skinned heels, Coale was fierce Wednesday night — not afraid of her counterpart and arguably the greatest women's basketball coach of all time, Geno Auriemma.
Coale's squad took on her persona. They fought back, playing aggressive defense and attacking offensively. They didn't back down to Goliath, instead they stood their ground and lived in the moment.
"I had a blast, I had a blast," Coale said. "It was one of those where we could all stay in the moment. I kept saying in timeouts 'Be where your feet are, right here in this possession. Forgot the score, win this possession.' I think now everybody can feel how much more fun it is for sure, but also how much more effective it is when you just play and don't fret. There was no fretting tonight. And that's a big step."
Wednesday night felt like the old days at the Lloyd Noble Center. The crowd was electric as the Sooners took on one of the best teams in the country. It was reminiscent of the Paris twins day and they battles they had with Baylor and other top-tier programs.
But Oklahoma's team looked different then those teams. They're young — Coale only played freshmen and sophomores — and inexperienced as their 3-7 record shows. Yet there seemed to be a glimmer of hope for Coale's team Wednesday.
They didn't worry about the outside noise, but instead just played.
"Before the game, we put a big emphasis on just not being afraid," said sophomore guard Shana Pellington, who scored 16 points. "I mean, it's UConn. It's a huge challenge. Not a lot of teams get the opportunity to do what we just did. I'd say this is the game I had the most fun."
Tears sat in the eyes of most of the Sooners players as they walked off the LNC court. But all of their heads were held high. They had done everything they could, and sometimes that's just not enough.
"This (game) had so much opportunity and I think we rung it dry," Coale said. "We did everything but have more points than them at the end... This team has great capacity. Their effort and attention tonight was — I could not ask for anymore."
