No. 15 Oklahoma (16-2, 9-1 Big 12) defeated Oklahoma State (13-6, 3-4) 97-93 on Saturday in Norman.
Senior forward Madi Williams led the Sooners with 26 points, adding four rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Ana Llanusa tallied 17 points, two rebounds and four assists.
OU dished 18 assists to the Cowgirls’ nine. The Sooners’ white-out crowd of 9,580 fans is its highest since 2013.
9️⃣,5️⃣8️⃣0️⃣The 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 home crowd since 2013. Sooner Nation, we love you ❤️#Sooners x #ONE pic.twitter.com/K7RQTNSiXs
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) January 22, 2023
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ victory:
Sooners finish strong
Facing a six-point deficit with 6:19 to play, OU’s chances of securing a win were in jeopardy.
The Sooners scored the next seven points, capped by a drive and layup by Williams, to take their first lead of the second half. Following a pair of Oklahoma State free throws, junior Skylar Vann made a 3-pointer, beginning a 9-0 Sooners run and giving OU a 86-84 lead which it took to the finish line.
The Sooners outscored the Cowgirls 29-21 in the fourth and 57-45 in the second half. After attempting just one shot in the first half — a contested, off-balanced 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer — senior Taylor Robertson scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds in the second half. Robertson went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line to secure the win for the Sooners.
Oklahoma State dominates from deep early, struggles late
Oklahoma State’s Big 12-best 37.7% 3-point percentage was on display early Saturday.
The Cowgirls went 13-for-27 from 3-point range in the first three quarters, compared to the Sooners 4-for-11. Cowgirls’ sophomore guard Anna Gret Asi made 7-of-12 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 26 points.
The fourth quarter proved less favorable for Oklahoma State, as they shot just 1-for-10 from 3-point range and 35.3% from the field.
Sooners rebounding streak comes to a close
OU’s streak of out rebounding its opponents in 13 consecutive games came to an end Saturday.
The Sooners grabbed 36 boards to Oklahoma State’s 39. OU conceded 13 offensive rebounds leading to 18 2nd-chance points, four of which came from missed free throws. Senior Liz Scott led the Sooners with eight rebounds. All nine Sooners who played grabbed at least two boards.
OU struggled to contain Oklahoma State’s senior forward Trinitee Jackson, who grabbed four offensive rebounds in just 14 minutes of play.
Next, OU will face No. 25 Texas at 7 p.m. on Jan. 25 in Austin.
This story was edited by Austin Curtright.
