No. 10 Oklahoma (9-1) defeated Oral Roberts (7-3) 94-54 on Sunday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
Sunday Funday‼️#BoomerSooner // #ONE pic.twitter.com/8Ny53GpRnA
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) December 15, 2024
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Overall shooting trouble
Throughout the season, OU has had trouble with shots going in. Last week against Alabama State, the Sooners made 43 of 73 shots with a 58.9% shooting percentage. Against Oral Roberts, Oklahoma made 37 of 84 shots, making their shooting percentage 44%.
Tonight the Sooners struggled from the three-point range as well. OU shot 9-for-33 earning a 27.3% shooting percentage from within the range. This is OU’s third lowest three-point shooting percentage all season.
“That’s why you have to be able to guard, because sometimes the ball doesn’t go in the hole,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “But I think from a shot selection standpoint, I thought we took really good shots. I really do. And I think sometimes they’re going to go and sometimes they’re not. I thought our response was pretty good and so we just need to continue to respond and continue to get better.”
Redshirt senior guards Lexy Keys and Aubrey Joens and senior guard Payton Verhulst were the only Sooners able to make a three-pointer during the game.
Keys made three shots from the three-point range and finished her game with nine points, five rebounds and two assists. Verhulst made four three-pointers and finished her game with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Joens made one from the three-point range, earning three points, three rebounds and one assist.
Defensive improvement
The Sooners got under the ball to grab defensive rebounds and forced the Golden Eagles to turn the ball over 19 times, earning 25 points as a result.
On the defensive side of the ball this season, the OU has struggled and allowed numerous turnovers during games, but this week they improved.
In the first half of the game, Oklahoma held Oral Roberts to a 26.7% shooting percentage, making 8 of 30 shots, and did not allow them to make a single three-pointer. By the end of the game OU held the Golden Eagles to 54 points, making 20 of 63 shots and three three-pointers.
Both freshman guard Zya Vann and junior center Raegan Beers played a hard man-on-man defense, each stealing the ball numerous times. Vann stole the ball four times while Beers stole it three times. Against the Golden Eagles, OU stole the ball a total of 14 times, improving from 12 steals against Alabama State last week.
“I think what we do really well at practice is that they (the coaches) make extremely, extremely game blank,” Beers said after the game. “And so they did a good job, especially the coaches this week, I feel like of stepping in and making us guard coaches… When we practice that it translates to the court. And so we just have to continue to do that every single day and practice throughout the rest of the season.”
Vann achieved 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. Beers finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and one assist earning her fifth double-double this season.
Zya Vann brings the energy
The freshman guard from Edmond, Oklahoma impressed today against the Golden Eagles. For the second time this season Vann scored 14 points in a game. She played a total for 16 minutes and 13 seconds making five of 11 shot attempts and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Vann played aggressively and stole the ball four times, only having one personal foul and one turnover.
“I think she has a desire just to play,” Baranczyk said. “She loves playing and you can see that. I think sometimes when she puts too much on her game, she’s not nearly as good as when she just goes out and plays and man, when she does that, she’s really really good.”
Next OU will play No. 20 Michigan (8-1) at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on ESPN2.
