Sherri Coale watched proudly as Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson sealed a must-win conference game.
For seniors like Williams and Robertson, the Sooners’ defeat of Kansas State on Saturday afternoon was even more special, as their former coach and her 2002 Final Four team were honored at halftime. Robertson and Williams each played their first three seasons for Coale before she retired after the 2020-21 season.
In a rematch with the Wildcats following a prior loss, Williams delivered all 18 of her points before the third quarter. Despite her efforts, the Sooners were struggling, down five points with 7:27 left in the game when Robertson took over and finished what Williams started.
Robertson’s fourth quarter heroics included going a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point line and hitting the game winner from the corner as the buzzer sounded, lifting the No. 20 Sooners (22-6, 11-5 Big 12) over K-State (18-10, 8-8) 72-69 in a critical conference matchup. It was the perfect ending to a night that included a tribute to Coale and a new banner hanging in the Lloyd Noble Center rafters in her honor.
𝙏-𝙍𝙊𝘽 𝘾𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝙂𝘼𝙈𝙀@T_Rob30 hits the buzzer beater and OU beats K-State in Norman!#Sooners x @MarchMadnessWBB pic.twitter.com/dYzpqWs8p7
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) February 26, 2022
“It was just really cool to have Coach Coale back,” Robertson said. “To have most of the Final Four team there and have them be a part of the last few days, it was just really cool to have that.”
Though Coale had a different seat Saturday afternoon than she became accustomed to over 25 years helming OU, she has always been on the front row watching the development of Williams and Robertson. After coaching the two for the last three years of her career, Coale cherished their in-game moments as well.
“Watching the team play is just so rewarding on so many levels,” said Coale. “I wish that I could adequately explain it, but it's what you train players to be able to do. This team plays with the personality of Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson. Those two guys have logged a ton of minutes in major college basketball and they've earned their stripes the hard way.”
Oklahoma entirely changed its game plan from the last time it faced Kansas State on Jan. 23, where the Wildcats won 94-65 and forward Ayoka Lee scored a single-game record 61 points.
The Sooners, and Williams specifically, seemingly took Saturday’s rematch personally, making sure Lee was kept in check. OU added an extra defender wherever Lee went, shadowing her over the top to prevent a catch inside. Rather than doubling on the catch, head coach Jennie Baranczyk opted to take away the catch.
The Sooners used that strategy en route to a 34-28 halftime lead. Oklahoma sacrificed other players taking open jump shots so Lee stayed quiet. It paid off, as Kansas State shot just 31.4 percent from the floor and Lee was left with four points and five rebounds in the opening periods.
“In the paint in general, I thought we did a really nice job,” said Baranczyk, who was hired to succeed Coale last April. “I thought we did a nice job of trying to create some space. I feel like we did a much better job on the defensive rebounds. We knew we had to do something different. From the standpoint of our team, I thought we did a really nice job.”
In the third quarter, the Wildcats role players stepped up to the plate and started knocking down open shots. Guard Serena Sundell and Forward Laura Macke combined for 15 third quarter points on 6-of-11 shooting. Sundell finished with 24 total points, while Macke netted 17.
After playing its worst quarter of the night and squandering a six-point halftime lead, Oklahoma headed into the final frame dead-locked at 51-51 against Kansas State. The Sooners struggled to shoot for a good portion of the night, especially from 3-point range. Heading into the fourth quarter, OU had made just 3-of-15 attempts from downtown.
“No matter who we're playing, it’s no different,” Robertson said. “We knew we had to battle on the boards and try to get every rebound we could, especially the long rebounds. I think that we've been trying to keep this mentality through all the practices we've had and just keep getting better every day, in every game, and we were pretty good at it today.”
Oklahoma’s firework-filled fourth quarter started with Robertson’s first 3-pointer of the night at the 7:14 mark. Robertson received back up from senior forward Nydia Lampkin, who produced her biggest quarter of the season. After a season-best 12 points against TCU on Feb. 23, Lampkin finished the fourth quarter with five points, three rebounds and an assist to win the game.
Robertson caught fire, going 4-for-4 in the last seven minutes of the game and splashing the game winner from the corner.
“As soon as it left my hand, I knew it was going in,” Robertson said. “I knew as soon as it left my head. It felt good, it looked good, it was right on line. I knew it was good.”
After notching a premier victory before Coale, Oklahoma returns to the court at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, as the Sooners travel to Stillwater for a second Bedlam matchup against Oklahoma State.
OU beat the Cowgirls 84-58 in their first matchup of the season on Jan. 26. and will look to continue that success on the backs of Robertson and Williams.
“They are both players who are incredibly competitive and yet never take themselves too seriously,” Coale said, praising her former pupils Robertson and Williams moreover. “That makes them always ready for whatever size of moment is presented to them. To watch them and their team play in that way is the coolest thing ever.”
