OU Women Unable to Hang With Baylor

Originally Published: Jan 13, 2010 9:22 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

WACO, Texas – The Oklahoma women’s basketball team held the Baylor offense in check early, but could not contain the Lady Bears in the second half on the way to a 57-47 loss Wednesday.

Baylor’s Britney Griner affected what OU (11-4, 1-1) did on both ends of the court. With Griner patrolling the paint on defense, the Sooners could not get any consistent penetration. Griner blocked 11 shots and forced the Sooners to settle for outside shots, resulting in 30 percent shooting.

When Baylor (14-2, 1-1) had the ball, two and sometimes three defenders were devoted to Griner at all times. She finished with 11 points but also opened holes for her teammates, allowing Shanay Washington to score 12 and Kelli Griffin 10.

The game began as a defensive struggle. Despite two fouls for both Abi Olajuwon and Joanna McFarland in the first 90 seconds of the game, the Sooners’ defense held Baylor in check throughout the first half.

OU forced 10 Baylor turnovers in the half and scored seven points off those turnovers. However, thanks in large part to Griner’s defense, the Sooners could not break away. They shot just 29 percent from the field, but still carried a 25-24 lead into halftime.

The Baylor offense recovered in the second half and built a big lead as OU’s offense continued to sputter. The Sooners eventually got things going and went on an 8-0 run, but it was too late. One of the Sooners’ biggest problems was their lack of success from long range. They made only one 3-pointer out of 15 attempts on the night.

Danielle Robinson led OU with 15 points and Olajuwon added 11. Nyeshia Stevenson was the only Sooner to make a 3-pointer, but finished 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.

OU will try to get back on the right track when it returns to Norman to face Texas A&M at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.