Sooners Pull Out Win in Bedlam Thriller

The teams stayed close from start to finish, but OU escaped with a five-point victory.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:10 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Jan 29, 2011 2:30 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

STILLWATER, Okla. – The OU and OSU women fought back and forth all day, but the Sooners escaped with an 82-77 victory in Bedlam.

The Cowgirls (13-6, 1-5) started the game on an 8-0 run, and that was the largest lead either team held for the entire game. The Sooners (16-4, 6-1) got into early foul trouble but were carried by Aaryn Ellenberg’s 18 points in the first half. OSU went into halftime leading 42-38.

The seesaw battle continued in the second half, with the lead changing hands several times in a matter of minutes. With less than two minutes remaining and OU leading by one point, Ellenberg made one free throw and missed the second, but Joanna McFarland pulled down an offensive rebound and drew another foul.

McFarland also made one of her two free throws, giving the Sooners a 78-75 lead. The Cowgirls were not able to pull any closer for the rest of the game.

Danielle Robinson scored the Sooners’ final four points on free throws, finishing a perfect 10-of-10 from the line and sealing the win for OU. The five-point lead the Sooners held as the final buzzer rang was the largest lead of the second half.

Ellenberg finished with a game-high 23 points, but made only two baskets in the second half. Robinson carried the team after halftime and finished with 20 points despite playing much of the second half with four fouls.

Five different Cowgirls scored in double digits, with Vicky McIntyre leading the way with 16 points off the bench. Lindsey Keller scored 13, while Tiffany Bias, Precious Robinson and Toni Young added 10 points each.

The Sooners struggled from long range to start the game, making only one of their first four 3-point attempts. But they caught fire from beyond the arc later in the game and finished shooting 12-of-24, shooting better from distance (50 percent) than they did overall (44 percent).

OU recovered from its first loss of the conference season in its last game against Texas A&M, while OSU now has lost five of its last six games. The Sooners will stay on the road to face Baylor at 7 p.m. Wednesday, and the Cowgirls will play at the same time on the road against Iowa State.