OU women's basketball routs West Virginia as Sooners focused on 'raising that bar'
NORMAN — OU women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk let out a scream and pumped her fist demonstratively.
Early in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against West Virginia, the 20th-ranked Sooners had just forced a Mountaineers’ shot-clock violation and Baranczyk — and everybody on OU’s side — was excited.
It wasn’t just about that one play, but a smothering defensive effort early that paved the way for an eventual 93-68 win at Lloyd Noble Center.
That defensive stretch soon came to an end after Baranczyk’s celebration, but for a team still searching for consistency defensively, it was a welcome sign.
“I thought our defensive intensity was much better today and I thought it really fueled us,” Baranczyk said. "I think we were a team today. I thought it was really fun."
The Sooners built a 46-17 lead by early in the second with a withering 30-3 run to put the game out of reach quickly.
The Mountaineers had 13 possessions during the Sooners’ big run.
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Four ended in turnovers and seven on rebounds by OU (18-4, 8-3 Big 12) after missed shots. West Virginia (14-7, 5-5) didn’t grab an offensive rebound during that stretch.
While that stretch certainly stood out, Baranczyk was more pleased with the way her team kept fighting defensively in the second half after West Virginia cut the lead to 18 at the break.
"I think in the second half we just did a much better job not letting our offense dictate our defense," Baranczyk said.
West Virginia's guard-heavy attack pressured Sooners guards, especially point guard Nevaeh Tot.
"That's probably the best defensive effort she's had," Baranczyk said of Tot's performance.
Fouls have sometimes been an issue for these Sooners, but they tied a season-low with just 12 Saturday, another sign of defensive improvement.
"We didn't have any (defensive) islands today," Skylar Vann said.
Baranczyk said she's felt the defensive improvement coming recently, saying she's been "cheering" the Sooners on defensively in practice more recently.
"Our practices have been really intense and we're holding a line, personally as a coaching staff, we're holding a line that's a little bit higher than it was even a month ago," Baranczyk said. "We just keep raising that bar every day in practice."
Here are two more takeaways from the Sooners’ victory:
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Spreading it around
Skylar Vann got the Sooners going early, scoring nine in the first quarter.
Most of Vann’s damage came near the basket, though she did hit a 3-pointer during OU’s 32-point opening quarter.
But plenty other than Vann did damage, as five different Sooners scored in double figures.
Vann finished with 16, Liz Scott with 15, Ana Llanusa 13, Nevaeh Tot 12 and Madi Williams 11.
OU shot 52.2% from the floor.
As importantly, the Sooners (18-4, 8-3 Big 12) finished with 28 assists, one off their season high. Aubrey Joens, who hadn’t had more than two assists in a game this season, led the Sooners with five. Joens also had two blocks.
"She doesn't stop moving," Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk said of Joens. "She's all-out effort all the time."
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Righting the ship
After a rough week the week before, with losses at Texas and Iowa State, the Sooners settled back in this week with back-to-back home wins.
They’ll need to keep that momentum going on the road in the upcoming week, though, with games at Baylor and Kansas State.
The Sooners remain right in the thick of the Big 12 race, but will need to keep their positive momentum going to stay within striking distance there.
"We're not going to pat ourselves on the back," Baranczyk said. "But playing that hard is fun."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Sooners rout West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball
