bluesooner17
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NORMAN — Madi Williams isn’t used to a lessthan-starring role.
Williams was a fivestar recruit coming out of Fort Worth’s Trinity Valley School and was the leading scorer for her team in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
But this season has been a learning process for the Oklahoma freshman wing.
That included her coming off the bench for the first time this season in Wednesday’s loss at Texas.
But though the Sooners lost, Williams seemed to be revitalized, scoring 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting off the b ench.
“I thought she responded beautifully to coming off the bench,” Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said.
“She came in an immediately was an aggressive scorer, communicated on defense, she ran in transition which opened up all kinds of things — sometimes her but most importantly a lot of other things on either side of her. She handled that thing exactly the way a pro would handle it.”
Coale wouldn’t say whether or not Williams would be back in the starting lineup Sunday when the Sooners host West Virginia (2 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).
“I like her playing the way she played when she came in,” Coale said.
But Williams said she enjoyed the difference of coming off the bench.
“It was just fun cheering my teammates on from the bench and then being able to come and and just be that spark,” Williams said. “I was feeling like she (Coale) just wants me to get in to groove of the game and whatever happens happens.”
Williams said 3-point shooting and ballhandling were her two primary focuses of improvement to this point.
Williams missed her first 14 3-point tries of the year before hitting one near the end of the first quarter Wednesday against Texas.
Coale said she hoped to see the same approach from Williams against the Mountaineers as she showed against the Longhorns.
“Effort and communication have to be constants and that aggressive mindset to score that she showed against Texas, that’s what I want to see more of ”
Three things to know
• The game features two of the top 3-point shooters in the conference. Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson leads the Big 12 with 4.21 3-pointers per game and is second in 3-point percentage while West Virginia’s Tynice Martin is fourth in the league with 2.4 3-pointers per game and third in 3-point percentage at 45.2.
• Oklahoma has scored 20 or more points off the bench in each of its last two games
after not having done it since the first two games of the
season.
• The Sooners have beaten West Virginia four consecutive times at Lloyd Noble Center, including a pair of
comebackers from deficits or 14 or more. The Sooners are 5-2 against the Mountaineers in Norman.
Williams was a fivestar recruit coming out of Fort Worth’s Trinity Valley School and was the leading scorer for her team in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
But this season has been a learning process for the Oklahoma freshman wing.
That included her coming off the bench for the first time this season in Wednesday’s loss at Texas.
But though the Sooners lost, Williams seemed to be revitalized, scoring 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting off the b ench.
“I thought she responded beautifully to coming off the bench,” Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said.
“She came in an immediately was an aggressive scorer, communicated on defense, she ran in transition which opened up all kinds of things — sometimes her but most importantly a lot of other things on either side of her. She handled that thing exactly the way a pro would handle it.”
Coale wouldn’t say whether or not Williams would be back in the starting lineup Sunday when the Sooners host West Virginia (2 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).
“I like her playing the way she played when she came in,” Coale said.
But Williams said she enjoyed the difference of coming off the bench.
“It was just fun cheering my teammates on from the bench and then being able to come and and just be that spark,” Williams said. “I was feeling like she (Coale) just wants me to get in to groove of the game and whatever happens happens.”
Williams said 3-point shooting and ballhandling were her two primary focuses of improvement to this point.
Williams missed her first 14 3-point tries of the year before hitting one near the end of the first quarter Wednesday against Texas.
Coale said she hoped to see the same approach from Williams against the Mountaineers as she showed against the Longhorns.
“Effort and communication have to be constants and that aggressive mindset to score that she showed against Texas, that’s what I want to see more of ”
Three things to know
• The game features two of the top 3-point shooters in the conference. Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson leads the Big 12 with 4.21 3-pointers per game and is second in 3-point percentage while West Virginia’s Tynice Martin is fourth in the league with 2.4 3-pointers per game and third in 3-point percentage at 45.2.
• Oklahoma has scored 20 or more points off the bench in each of its last two games
after not having done it since the first two games of the
season.
• The Sooners have beaten West Virginia four consecutive times at Lloyd Noble Center, including a pair of
comebackers from deficits or 14 or more. The Sooners are 5-2 against the Mountaineers in Norman.
