By Brice Cherry

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Baylor got the meeting with Dubya, but Oklahoma got the W.

The Lady Bears wished they could have taken both.

With former President George W. Bush watching from courtside, OU’s senior all-American Courtney Paris banked in the tiebreaking basket with 34 seconds left to lift the No. 2 Sooners over the No. 4 Lady Bears, 56-51, before an electric season-high crowd of 8,220 Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.

Bush gave the Baylor team a pep talk prior to the game, then he and wife Laura sat behind the BU bench for the game. But the Lady Bears couldn’t follow through with the victory in a ragged game in which they shot 27.1 percent and committed 19 turnovers.

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Oklahoma's Courtney Paris, right, is guarded by Baylor's Danielle Wilson during the first half of action in Wednesday's game. (Rod Aydelotte photo)

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“For us to even be in the ballgame shooting 27 percent against the No. 2 team in the country is pretty remarkable,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “I just thought we missed a grand opportunity to make it a special night with the president here, and a great crowd.”

Oklahoma (17-2 overall, 6-0 in the Big 12) grabbed sole possession of first place in the conference with the win, while Baylor (17-2, 5-1) lost for the first time in 12 games.

“We feel very, very fortunate to be leaving the Ferrell Center with a win tonight,” Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. “A lot of credit to a very talented Baylor team and a terrific game plan by Coach Mulkey and her staff. We just showed some resiliency and some poise down the stretch that I think is a reflection of a hungry bunch of kids.”

Despite BU’s shooting woes, the game was tight throughout. Oklahoma’s sharpshooting freshman Whitney Hand broke a 48-all tie with 1:19 left with an all-net 3-point bomb from the corner — giving Hand her only points and OU its one and only trey of the game.

Baylor responded, as Jessica Morrow bottomed out a trey of her own with 55 ticks left to knot the score again at 51.

But Oklahoma plunged in the final dagger on the next possession, as sophomore point guard Danielle Robinson penetrated into the lane and then dished to Courtney Paris, who dropped in an easy layup that proved to be the game-winner.

Morrow came up short on a 3-point try on BU’s next possession and Paris rebounded, forcing the Lady Bears to foul to stop the clock in the waning seconds.

Baylor and Oklahoma entered the game 1-2 in the nation in rebounding margin, and the Lady Bears kept their perfect season on the boards alive by grabbing 42 boards to OU’s 37. But Baylor couldn’t turn its rebounds into points, shooting 25 percent in the second half to the Sooners’ 61.9 percent.

“I thought whoever won the battle in there on the boards would probably come out on top,” Mulkey said. “But you can’t shoot the ball like we did. I can start naming names — 0-for-6, 0-for-8, 1-for-7. You’re not going to beat anybody when you shoot like that.”

Courtney Paris helped OU’s shooting percentage mightily in the second half, parking herself in the paint as a near immovable presence. She recorded 15 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots to extend her NCAA-record steak of double-doubles to 111 straight games.

Her twin sister Ashley dealt Baylor double trouble, tallying 12 points and grabbing 11 boards.

Wilson made Courtney Paris work on both ends, scoring 11 points, snatching nine rebounds and swatting five shots.

Melissa Jones turned in a sensational effort, as the lone BU player to make more than half her shots.

Jones scored 16 points and ripped three steals, prompting Mulkey to say, “Melissa was one of the bright spots tonight.”

Despite shooting a shade under 30 percent in the opening half, the Lady Bears actually walked into the locker room with a 23-22 halftime edge, thanks to a clutch 3-pointer from Morrow with time winding down.

Mulkey said the night was one she’d never forget thanks to the visit by the Bushes, and she hopes it’s one her players don’t forget, either.

For slightly different reasons.

“I want a couple of them to file it away forever,” Mulkey said. “They don’t have another shot to play Oklahoma at home, so they need to make sure they think about it. If you’re a competitor, you want to think about it, but you can’t let it devastate you and destroy you. I’m not one of these that just wants to blow stuff off.

“When I was a player, I didn’t forget things. It gives you that burning feeling in your gut to do better the next time you play.”

The Lady Bears will return to the court Sunday when they host No. 16 Texas.