No. 6 OU (4-1) defeated the Western Carolina (2-2) 95-32 in a matchup fueled by a dominant defensive effort.
Here are takeaways:
Sooner defense steps up
In their first true road game of the season, the Sooners excelled with their best defensive performance of the season. The 32 points allowed are the Sooners’ lowest of the season with their next lowest coming in two separate 89-61 wins against Kansas City and North Alabama.
After performing well out of the gate in the first quarter on a run that ended at 19-5, the Sooners never looked back.
The dominant performance can be attributed to a 52 to 22 rebound advantage, 16 steals and four blocks. Freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez pestered at the point with three steals. Sophomore guard Caya Smith and freshman forward Keziah Lofton also contributed to the cause with three steals each. Freshman forward Brooklyn Stewart continued to develop off the bench and proved to be a threat at the rim with two blocks and two offensive rebounds in 17 minutes.
The Sooners held the Catamounts to 21% shooting, allowing just 10 of 47 from the field and 5 of 22 from beyond the arc. The Catamounts’ leading scorer was sophomore guard Taj Hunter, who finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Junior guard Ally Hollyfield followed with 10 points, though she struggled from the field at 2-for-12. Outside of their top two scorers, Western Carolina mustered just 10 combined points from seven other players.
OU shows off scoring depth
The Sooners scored 95 points, their most of the season, behind the efforts of several key starters and bench pieces.
Senior Center Raegan Beers, a preseason All-SEC first teamer, once again led the way for OU with 21 points and 10 rebounds on, an efficient 7-for-10 from the field. Chavez was right behind Beers with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists on 7 of 13 shooting and 3 of 8 from deep. Sophomore guard Zya Vann continued to carve out a prominent role on the offense with 14 points and six rebounds on 6 of 11 shooting. The starters performed well despite senior guard Payton Verhulst, who is averaging 12 points per game on the season, took a backseat to the scoring in this one with only seven points in 25 minutes.
Off the bench, freshmen ruled the day. Stewart chipped in eight points, while Lofton had seven. Freshman forward Emma Tolan added four, and freshman center Daffa Cissoko had two points — her first points of the season.
The Sooners shot 51% from the field on 37 of 73 from the field and carried that efficiency to the perimeter, finishing 8 of 21 from the 3-point line. The 51% from the field is OU’s second-highest on the season, only behind a 55% performance in a win against Kansas City.
Tempo and post play inspire win
OU ran the floor effectively with 30 fast break points, its most of the season, and 14 turnovers to the Catamounts’ 26. The Sooners have now outscored opponents 83 to 24 in fast break points this season.
As the Sooners have been playing at a pace teams struggle to keep up with, they have also worn teams out in the post. OU outscored the Catamounts 54 to 8 in the post with Beers leading the brunt of the attack. Beers scored all of her points down low and made 7 of 8 free throws.
Next, the Sooners face the East Texas A&M Lions at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Lloyd Noble Center on SECN+.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
