The OU women’s basketball team defeated the TCU Horned Frogs, 69-53 Let’s talk about it.
It’s the first time that the Sooners are the No. 1 seed in the tournament since 2009.
In the first quarter, it was all OU. Oklahoma held TCU to just six points. A 9-0 run helped the Sooners get the momentum rolling early. OU was attacking the rim throughout the first quarter, and displayed the physicality they wanted to play with on the defensive side of the ball. Aubrey Joens provided an early spark off the bench, and had five points of her nine points in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, TCU was able to punch back. The Horned Frogs went on a 16-6 run, and put a much bigger emphasis on running the offense through the low post. That caused some trouble for the OU defense. The Sooners took a 30-24 lead into the locker room.
The TCU comeback trend continued throughout the third quarter. The Horned Frogs put up back-to-back 18-point quarters on the Sooners after struggling early on.
In the fourth, the Sooners extended their lead. They were able to prevent any hope of a TCU comeback and used the clock to their advantage.
OU shot the three-pointer at a very efficient rate against TCU. The team shot 42.1%. TCU shot 28.6% from behind the arc. TCU only having one bench player could have contributed to the shooting woes for the Horned Frogs.
The overall team defense from Oklahoma caused problems for TCU all game. The defensive intensity was there for the Sooners from the start of the game. OU held TCU to just 28.8% from the field.
Freshman Sahara Williams was a problem for the TCU defense all game long. She led the way for the Sooners with 17 points and also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds. She was a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Williams has shown all year she is a force to be reckoned with, and more in-game experience will only be a positive for the Oklahoma program.
Lexy Keys had a great shooting day against the Horned Frogs. She had 11 points on 4-5 from the field, three rebounds, and one assist. She continues to provide offense whenever the Sooners need it, and the transfer from Oklahoma State has been a big part of why OU has had so much success this season. Replacing Taylor Robertson with Lexy Keys was a great transfer addition for the Sooners.
OU was also able to get solid production from the bench. Sophomore Reyna Scott came in and made her presence felt as the floor general point guard for the second unit. She had six points, two rebounds, and three assists. Kiersten Johnson also provided some solid minutes for Jennie Baranczyk, she scored four points and grabbed three rebounds. The Sooners having some height at the forward position to deploy off the bench has been very useful throughout the season.
Next up for the Sooners is a matchup with the No. 4 ranked Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Images courtesy of Audrey Quan/OU Daily and Aden Choate/OU Daily
