Oklahoma (12-11, 7-5 Big 12) beat No. 21 West Virgina (17-6, 5-6 Big 12) 76-57 Saturday afternoon.
Defense was the key for the Sooners, as West Virginia got off to a slow start early in the first quarter. The Mountaineers struggled to shoot the ball only hitting 5-of-17 field goals in the quarter. The Sooners capitalized on their poor shooting but also had mistakes throughout the first quarter.
In the second quarter West Virginia was able to pick up momentum a bit, although the Sooners were able to match it. More of the same, both teams struggled with their shots in the second quarter and turnovers, as the Sooner had 10 and the Mountaineers had 12.
The Sooners shot 46 percent from the field in the first quarter but struggled a little bit with their shot in the second quarter only shooting 38 percent from the field. Senior guard Gabbi Ortiz connected on 1-of-4 three point field goals as she became only the third player in school history to make 200 career 3-pointers.
The Sooners picked it up in the second half offensively shooting 60 percent from the field although the team went 0-for-3 from behind the three-point line in the third quarter. Defensively the Sooners continued their strong performance throughout the quarter, forcing six turnovers and holding West Virginia to 30 percent shooting.
Oklahoma was able to put West Virginia away in the fourth quarter, outplaying them offensively and defensively. The second half was a different story or the Sooners but the same for the Mountaineers. West Virginia struggled the whole game and was not able to get any momentum going. The Sooners capitalized on every mistake and ultimately put them away in the second half.
Freshman guard Ana Llanusa led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting including 6-of-10 from behind the three-point line. Senior center Vionne Pierre-Louis added on 13 points and six rebounds to go along with five blocks. As a team the Sooners shot 52 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. Defensively the Sooners forced 22 turnovers and held the Mountaineers to 32 percent shooting from the field.
