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OU unable to split Bedlam series in Stillwater
By Abby Bitterman
For The Transcript
Oklahoma hadn’t made a basket in the third quarter when Madi Williams finally scored on a layup with just 51 seconds to go.
The shot ended a long drought for the Sooners (6-9, 3-7 Big 12) and propelled them into a strong fourth quarter. But as the deficit between OU and Oklahoma State (14-5, 10-3 Big 12) grew bigger all night, the seven-player Sooner roster couldn’t hang with the team with the Big 12’s third-best record.
“We didn’t play very well,”OU coach Sherri Coale said. “There’s a newsflash.”
The Sooners fell to the Cowgirls 91-64 but didn’t go down without a fight.
After falling apart for much of the third period, OU hit its stride in the fourth quarter thanks to Williams. The junior only scored 8 points in the first half. She doubled her point total in the third quarter when she was the only Sooner to score, making four free throws and two shots from the floor, including the layup.
OU started the third quarter 0 of 10 from the field, as the Sooners kept trying to fight their way out of the shooting slump with no success. Natasha Mack, the Cowgirls leading scorer with 26 points, outscored the Sooners by herself in the third quarter, posting 13 points.
“Third quarter was obviously just a deep trench for us,” Coale said. “When we don’t make a 3 and we shoot 50% from 2, it’s really hard to overcome that because [Oklahoma State is] just such a handful to defend.
“When you can’t answer that, it sort of takes the wind out of your sails.”
But OU didn’t stay down for long. Williams’ layup near the end of the third quarter reignited the Sooners. After shooting so poorly in the third, it seemed as though all OU needed was to see one basket go in.
The Cowgirls went on a 5-0 run to start the fourth quarter, but, down 36 points, the Sooners started to fight back.
Williams, who played 37 minutes for OU, led the way scoring 13 points in the quarter to finish with a game-high 29 points, along with a team-high nine rebounds. Earlier in the week, Williams was named to the Dawn Staley Award late season watchlist, an award that honors the best guard in the country.
OU gave its best performance of the game, shooting 52.9% from the field and 80% from behind the 3-point arc. The Sooners outscored the Cowgirls 27-23 in the fourth quarter, besting or tying Oklahoma State in several statistical categories for that 10-minute stretch.
“They have pride,” Coale said of her team’s effort in the final quarter. “I think they finally got to the point where they didn’t worry quite so much. I felt like we played worried, particularly in the third quarter when we couldn’t make a shot. Everything seemed tense. … and then in the fourth quarter did some good things.”
By Abby Bitterman
For The Transcript
Oklahoma hadn’t made a basket in the third quarter when Madi Williams finally scored on a layup with just 51 seconds to go.
The shot ended a long drought for the Sooners (6-9, 3-7 Big 12) and propelled them into a strong fourth quarter. But as the deficit between OU and Oklahoma State (14-5, 10-3 Big 12) grew bigger all night, the seven-player Sooner roster couldn’t hang with the team with the Big 12’s third-best record.
“We didn’t play very well,”OU coach Sherri Coale said. “There’s a newsflash.”
The Sooners fell to the Cowgirls 91-64 but didn’t go down without a fight.
After falling apart for much of the third period, OU hit its stride in the fourth quarter thanks to Williams. The junior only scored 8 points in the first half. She doubled her point total in the third quarter when she was the only Sooner to score, making four free throws and two shots from the floor, including the layup.
OU started the third quarter 0 of 10 from the field, as the Sooners kept trying to fight their way out of the shooting slump with no success. Natasha Mack, the Cowgirls leading scorer with 26 points, outscored the Sooners by herself in the third quarter, posting 13 points.
“Third quarter was obviously just a deep trench for us,” Coale said. “When we don’t make a 3 and we shoot 50% from 2, it’s really hard to overcome that because [Oklahoma State is] just such a handful to defend.
“When you can’t answer that, it sort of takes the wind out of your sails.”
But OU didn’t stay down for long. Williams’ layup near the end of the third quarter reignited the Sooners. After shooting so poorly in the third, it seemed as though all OU needed was to see one basket go in.
The Cowgirls went on a 5-0 run to start the fourth quarter, but, down 36 points, the Sooners started to fight back.
Williams, who played 37 minutes for OU, led the way scoring 13 points in the quarter to finish with a game-high 29 points, along with a team-high nine rebounds. Earlier in the week, Williams was named to the Dawn Staley Award late season watchlist, an award that honors the best guard in the country.
OU gave its best performance of the game, shooting 52.9% from the field and 80% from behind the 3-point arc. The Sooners outscored the Cowgirls 27-23 in the fourth quarter, besting or tying Oklahoma State in several statistical categories for that 10-minute stretch.
“They have pride,” Coale said of her team’s effort in the final quarter. “I think they finally got to the point where they didn’t worry quite so much. I felt like we played worried, particularly in the third quarter when we couldn’t make a shot. Everything seemed tense. … and then in the fourth quarter did some good things.”
