Once again, Oklahoma dug a big first quarter hole.
In three of the last seven games, the Sooners have ended the opening period trailing by more than five points. OU has regularly been able to make up for less-than-stellar starts this season, but the magic ran out Wednesday night.
Texas Tech’s 12-2 run to start the game was indicative of the outcome. Lack of defense plagued the Sooners throughout, as No. 15 Oklahoma (20-5, 9-4 Big 12) suffered an unexpected 97-87 loss to Texas Tech (10-14, 3-10) in Norman.
Skylar Vann was one of the lone positives for the Sooners on Wednesday, as the sophomore forward netted 17 points and six rebounds. OU also received solid production from sophomore guard Nevaeh Tot, who poured in 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.
“We didn't have the fire that we've had,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “We didn't have the competitiveness. This is gut check time … are we going to be the team that has that or not? If we play with that kind of energy, it’s a different game. We needed to play harder.”
It seemed as if the Sooners were always just a step behind. which resulted in 29 total fouls and sent the Lady Raiders to the free-throw line 34 times in the second half. Texas Tech finished the game shooting 31-for-36 from the free-throw line, which accounted for nearly a third of the team’s total points.
While there weren’t any NCAA records broken, and the final score was much closer, Wednesday’s game felt eerily similar to OU’s blowout loss to Kansas State on Jan. 15. The inability to slow down opposing scorers and rebound plagued the Sooners again.
The lack of defense and rebounding can be attributed partly to the inconsistent on-court energy, Baranczyk and Vann said. The low energy resulted in a three-minute fourth quarter scoring drought and 22 free-throw attempts in the final frame for the Lady Raiders.
“I think we had (energy) in spurts,” Vann said. “I don't think it was very consistent tonight. That’s kind of why we had our leads and then we lost them and then kind of ended the game with our spark completely gone.”
TTU guard Vivian Gray was a thorn in OU’s side, pouring in 35 points. Gray surpassed her season average of 19.8 points per game in the third quarter, and did so efficiently, going 12-of-24 from the floor.
“She’s obviously a phenomenal player,” Baranczyk said. “We just clearly have to do a much better job defensively, period. But especially on their key players.”
While OU lost the turnover battle 14-12, the real story was the Sooners’ inability to convert off those turnovers. The Lady Raiders dominated the Sooners in points off of takeaways, 19-2.
“Our turnovers are creating points for the other team,” said Baranczyk. “So in these games, that's where we've got to be able to adjust. We've done a pretty good job this year of creating turnovers and converting those two points. We just didn't go to the rim as much as we needed to until the end of the game.”
After falling behind 12-2 early, the Sooners were able to fight back and end the first half on a high note behind senior forward Madi Williams and senior guard Taylor Robertson’s eight points apiece. Going into the break, the Lady Raiders and Sooners were tied 37-37.
In the third quarter, it looked like OU was finally playing with energy. After a pair of free-throws by Williams, Oklahoma took its first lead of the second half, 55-54 with 2:34 remaining in the quarter.
While Texas Tech led by just three heading into the final frame, the defense collapsed finally for the Sooners. OU gave up a game-high 34 points in the fourth quarter, including 20 makes from the free-throw line.
Oklahoma started and finished the game with minimal energy, resulting in its only loss to a team with a losing record on the season. The loss proved costly for the Sooners, as they fell to third place in the conference standings.
OU has yet another test, as it returns to action at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19 against No. 6 Iowa State in Ames. Oklahoma lost its previous matchup with the Cyclones 81-71 in Norman on Jan. 5.
“They controlled the game from the tip and we need to be better,” said Baranczyk. “We need to be ready and that's on us as coaches to be able to really have our team prepared, and I'm disappointed in a variety of things. Obviously the rebounding and fouling. I'm just really disappointed in myself and in us for not having us ready.”
