Sooners Fall at the Buzzer to Lady Bears

OU layup bounced out, handing Baylor an 82-81 win.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:14 pm

By: News On 6

Sooners Fall at the Buzzer to Lady Bears

Originally Published: Feb 27, 2011 6:36 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Okla. – The layup hung on the edge of the rim for what seemed like an eternity, almost as if taunting Danielle Robinson before falling out.

In a game as close as close can get, the Baylor Lady Bears hung on for a dramatic 82-81 victory against the Sooners on Sunday.

Things were looking good for the Sooners as Robinson made a layup with 17 seconds left to give OU an 81-80 lead.

But freshman guard Odyssey Sims grabbed the ball and raced down the court without hesitation, nailing a jumper to put the Lady Bears right back up.

After a timeout, Robinson drove the length of the court and heaved up a contested layup, which bounced around and then dangled on the front of the rim for several seconds - just enough time for the clock to expire – before dropping out.

Robinson lay on the floor for several seconds afterward in disbelief.

The 15th-ranked Sooners did everything they could against No. 3 Baylor, including shooting 91 percent from the free-throw line and outrebounding the taller Lady Bears 33-29.

But Sims was nearly unstoppable, putting up 37 points to lead all scorers and help Baylor to the win.

Baylor actually jumped out to a nine-point lead with 1:21 left in the first half before taking a six-point margin into the break.

The Lady Bears led by eight (57-49) before OU rattled off an 8-0 run to tie it up with 12:31 left.

The Sooners’ first lead of the day didn’t come until a pair of free throws from Robinson put them up 67-66 with 7:08 left in the game.

Robinson and Aaryn Ellenberg had 25 points each to lead Oklahoma and Carlee Roethlisberger picked up a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.

6-foot-8 post Brittney Griner had 21 points and five boards for the Lady Bears.

Next up for the Sooners is Bedlam in Norman at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.