Bedlam women's basketball: Three takeaways from No. 18 Sooners' rout of Cowgirls
NORMAN — Early in Wednesday's Bedlam matchup, OU's Madi Williams came over to Liz Scott on the floor.
"I'm going to be looking for you in the post," Williams told Scott.
It wasn't just Williams.
Scott was in the center of the Sooners' offense, scoring a career-high 22 points as No. 18 OU beat the Cowgirls 84-58 at Lloyd Noble Center.
Though OU came in averaging more than 10 3-pointers per game, but OSU concentrated on making life difficult on the perimeter for the Sooners.
It didn't matter, as OU had success in the paint — scoring 46 points there — and at the free-throw line.
In the third quarter, when OSU cut what had been a 15-point deficit to single digits, Scott scored eight consecutive OU points to help the Sooners stretch the lead back out.
The Cowgirls never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Scott had never scored more than 16 in a game in her career.
“Everybody game plans for Madi and Taylor (Robertson) — everybody does,” ‘Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “What makes this thing special is we’re a team.”
The junior was 10 of 12 from the free-throw line.
Baranczyk said Scott's breakout game, and recent offensive improvement, is more about what Scott can be rather than opponents focusing on Williams and Robertson.
OU (17-3, 6-2 Big 12) bettered its win total from any of the last four seasons.
The Sooners finished 21 of 28 from the free-throw line while OSU was just 10 of 21.
OU hit a season-low five 3-pointers, but Scott helped make sure it didn't matter.
"I thought she just pretty much bullied us all night long," Cowgirls coach Jim Littell said.
OSU (6-11, 1-7) has lost five consecutive games.
Here are three other takeaways from OU’s Bedlam win:
Washington, Fields return
Each team got a significant piece back after an absence.
OU freshman Kelbie Washington returned after missing the last three games, a possibility Baranczyk thought was remote Monday.
Washington came off the bench for the first time this season and made a big impact early there, with two points, a pair of steals and an assist in the first quarter.
Washington finished with six points, six assists and four steals and finished with a game-high plus-40 plus/minus in 23 minutes.
“She’s so fast and she sets people up,” Baranczyk said. “She just has an energy about her that’s so fun.”
OSU leading scorer Lauren Fields returned after missing two games.
Fields had two turnovers early. She finished 4 of 17 from the field with a team-high 12 points, four assists and six turnovers in 37 minutes.
Littell said it would take Fields come time to get reacclimated after a stint in COVID protocols.
"When you've sat out five to 10 days in protocol, you're not back immediately," Littell said.
Tramel's ScissorTales: With Sherri Coale retired & Kim Mulkey off to LSU, it's a new era for OU-Baylor rivalry
First quarter issues continue for Cowgirls
The Sooners jumped out quickly, attacking the basket from the start and repeatedly getting to the free-throw line early in the game to take a 26-15 lead after one.
OU made just one more field goal than the Cowgirls in the first quarter but was 10 of 13 from the free-throw line in the first 12 minutes while OSU didn’t attempt a free throw until early in the second quarter.
Madi Williams scored 10 of her 13 points in the opening quarter.
“We got so locked in on Taylor Robertson and Madi Williams that we lost our concepts defensively,” Littell said. “That’s what great players do, they get you to focus on them.”
The Cowgirls turned the ball over nine times in the first, leading to nine Sooners’ points.
The first-quarter struggles continued a recent trend for OSU, which has now been outscored 93-45 in the first quarter over the last three games.
OSU finished with a season-high 23 turnovers, leading to 20 OU points.
The Cowgirls have turned the ball over 44 times over the last two games.
'She's a big piece': Cowgirls need Taylen Collins' defensive presence against OU in Bedlam women's basketball
Bouncing back
The Sooners haven’t needed to bounce back very much this season, but they were coming off a blowout 94-65 loss at Kansas State on Sunday where the Wildcats’ Ayoka Lee set an NCAA single-game scoring record with 61 points.
Baranczyk said Tuesday she was happy with her team’s attention to detail in the immediate aftermath of the loss.
With the Sooners facing a Saturday showdown against No. 9 Texas and a game next week at No. 11 Baylor, it was critical for OU to respond in Bedlam.
“It wasn’t that every minute was perfect and really pretty, but it was gritty and it was tough and it was together,” Baranczyk said. “It’s fun to be able to do that on your home floor.”
The win kept the Sooners tied for first place in the Big 12.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. OSU women's basketball score from Sooners' win over Cowgirls
