Sunday, February 22, 2009
By Brice Cherry
Tribune-Herald staff writer
NORMAN, Okla. — The road seemed free and clear.
The Baylor Lady Bears had shifted into the fast lane with their foot firmly implanted on the gas, ready to accelerate home with a victory.
Then came the crash.
Second-ranked Oklahoma crashed the backboards with ferocity, snatching 23 offensive rebounds in banging its way past No. 5 Baylor, 66-58, before a record-setting crowd of 12,906 at the Lloyd Noble Center Saturday afternoon.
The win puts the Soon- ers (24-2, 12-0 Big 12) in prime position when it comes to the conference race, while Baylor (21-4, 9-3) remains in sole possession of second place in the league, a game ahead of Texas A&M and Kansas State.
“I don’t think either team got anything fluid (offensively) going,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “I think it was rebounding that was the difference in the game. Amanda Thompson has nine offensive boards. . . . We’re the two top rebounding teams in the league, and they just did it better today.”
Not only are the post-heavy Lady Bears and Sooners two of the top teams in the Big 12 at cleaning the glass, they’re among the best in the nation. Heading into Saturday’s game, Baylor ranked fourth in the NCAA in rebounding margin, pulling down an average of 11.3 more boards per game than its foes, while OU was fifth at 10.9.
On Saturday, though, the Sooners showed why you can’t spell rebound without OU. Led by Thompson’s career-high 15 boards, Oklahoma outrebounded Baylor, 51-31, earning itself second and third-chance opportunities for buckets.
“(Baylor) crashes really, really hard,” Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. “They do a good job blocking out, that’s a strength of their game that you always know is going to be good. We challenged our guys and said that was one of the keys to the game, defensive transition and rebounding the basketball. I thought we were really good in those areas.”
Baylor’s fight wasn’t the problem. Despite trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, the Lady Bears jabbed their way back.
Baylor opened up the second half on an 18-6 spurt, taking their first lead on a driving layup by Melissa Jones, who scored 12 points off the bench. A couple of trips later, Danielle Wilson displayed nifty footwork in dropping in a jumper while drawing a foul, inciting a rowdy reaction from the Baylor bench.
When Morghan Medlock scored on an inside bucket with 13:35 to play, Baylor led 49-43 and was clearly in possession of the momentum.
But BU’s offense stagnated from that point forward. Missing shots inside and out, Baylor didn’t score in the next 11:16 of the game, until Rachel Allison drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:19 remaining.
Baylor’s drought — which was obviously aided by Oklahoma’s defense — allowed the Sooners to take control. The Lady Bears trailed by only six after Allison’s trey, but OU extended the lead by sinking its free throws down the stretch.
Oklahoma point guard Danielle Robinson electrified the OU offense — and the crowd — with her speed, racing out in transition for a couple of layups in the Sooners’ late surge. Robinson finished with 19 points and eight assists.
“We have different people who can step up and take the game over,” said Oklahoma senior center Courtney Paris. “And I thought D-Rob did that, taking it to the rim and getting those buckets, getting us back into it.
Paris found little room to get her shot off against the smothering defense of BU’s Wilson, but battled her way to 18 points and 15 rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting.
Wilson finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks — both of Paris. Kelli Griffin chipped in 12 points, drilling a pair of treys in the last 52 seconds.
Following the game, Mulkey conceded that the loss was “frustrating,” but downplayed its significance.
“We’re second place in the Big 12, they’re No. 2 in the country, we’re No. 5, I don’t have to bounce back,” Mulkey said. “We’re going to get on that bus and eat some chicken and a sandwich, and go get ready for four more games and the Big 12 tournament, get ready for the NCAAs. We’re ready to go.”
BEAR FACTS: Oklahoma’s paid attendance figure of 12,906 set a Noble Center record for a women’s game, breaking the 12,205 figure at last year’s OU-Oklahoma State game. . . . Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was among the fans taking in the game. Ben’s sister Carlee is a sophomore forward for the Sooners. . . . A member of Oklahoma’s “Ruff-Neck” student group was escorted from the arena at halftime after yelling at the Baylor coaches and team while they were heading to the locker room. Mulkey avoided comment on the incident after the game.
bcherry@wacotrib.com
757-5714
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