Oklahoma Sweeps Oklahoma State In Final Big-12 Bedlam

The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Oklahoma State Cowgirls 91-56 on Saturday afternoon. Let’s talk about it.

Throughout the first quarter, it was clear that the intensity was there for both teams. I was there in attendance and could feel it instantly. It was going back and forth until OU got a couple of stops and turned them into baskets to take a seven-point lead into the second quarter. One of the most memorable plays from the first half happened when Sahara Williams, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, drove into the paint causing OSU defender Praise Egharevba to be driven back to the baseline on her backside. Williams proceeded to do the “too small” celebration, and that got the Lloyd Noble Center fired up beyond belief.

Sahara Williams looks to score against OSU.

Two Sooners had double-doubles against OSU. Skylar Vann continued her great season, after she scored 17 points, and grabbed 11 rebounds. She brought the energy for OU on both ends of the ball, and the team fed off it. Payton Verhulst also came to play against the Cowgirls, she shot an efficient 5-10 from the field and had 14 points and 13 rebounds, three of which, were on the offensive glass. Verhulst also had five assists. She has been an offensive star for this OU team all season, but her dedication to the defensive side of the ball and crashing the glass, has been very encouraging to see, and is why OU has had a lot of success this year. When a guard can help the bigs on the glass, that can be a huge lift.

OU did have trouble down low trying to stop Hannah Gusters. She had 14 points for the Cowgirls. But, they were able to keep her off the glass, only allowing her to grab three rebounds. There was a mix of single coverage and double teams thrown at Gusters throughout the game. Sophomore Beatrice Culliton did a nice job defending her.

Another big difference in this game was the bench play. The Sooners had 30 points off the bench compared to the four points for OSU. That’s the difference in the game. Head coach Jennie Baranczyk, who is 6-0 against Oklahoma State, got great production from players like Kiersten Johnson, who had eight points, and five rebounds in her 10 minutes of action. Sophomore Reyna Scott also pieced together a good game off the bench in 15 minutes for the Sooners, she had eight points, one rebound, three assists, and three steals. She played great perimeter defense and was active in the passing lanes all game. Aubrey Joens contributed to the scoring cause as she dropped in nine points and had three rebounds, and Kennady Tucker had another five points and also had three rebounds against OSU.