Oklahoma womens basketball blog 2010-11

89-58 3:00

 

Did I mention that we beat the longheifers' asses??



back to the pouter side of the rio rojo

 

What do the score of last night's womens game and 65-13 have in common?

91-62

Both were the largest margins of victory in an OU-Texas game in each of their particular sports... and this is despite losing D-Rob most of the game with her foul trouble (eventually fouling out).

Coaches of the nation beware: Texas will present you with a large stack of money in return for leaving your current program and it's successes. Stay out of Austin! And if you're in Austin, leave as soon as possible! (Will Muschamp approves of this message)

In case you're wondering how we nearly won by 30 when we were only up by 16 at the half, we simply didn't miss shots in the second half, even the most wild prayer shots that should normally have no chance of going in... those, too, were going in... and Gail G probably wanted outta the Big 12 more than ever at those moments, because Texas' shots weren't falling like that

The awards!

Team effort: All 13 players.
This was once again a game where everyone logged minutes. I love it. Keep everyone involved!

Scoring Sooner: Whitney Hand (23)
She only missed four of her shots, and none of those misses were for 3... or for 1. Honorable mention to Aaryn "Vegas" Ellenberg, with 21.

Whitney's shot: Whitney (3 for 3)
The team shot 7 for 12, 58 percent, which was a large reason why the margin of victory was so... um, large.

FREE throws: Team (12 for 15)
80 percent still means there's room for improvement, but this seems better than it has been lately.

Ball thieves: Team (14)
Texas had 25 turnovers compared with our 12, and it was mostly because we wouldn't let them keep the ball, hehe.

Sharing Sooners: Team (16 assists)
Texas had 8 assists, another reason why they sucked last night.

And now... the others:
Rebounding? Bueller? Bueller?: This kills me, because it seems like we should be more dominant in this stat with our boxing out and tall chicks in the post area... alas, nobody's seemed to excel consistently in this category like some of our previous players did.

Player of the game: Whitney Hand

Oh man where to start... the player we all missed dearly for her three-point shooting has clearly been working on other aspects of her game during her time off. So setting aside the fact that she led the team in scoring (again, 23), free throw percentage (4 for 4) and field goals (8 for 12), she also led the team in assists (4), steals (3, tied with Jaz) and even added four boards. This was despite the fact that she sat down with most starters in the closing minutes of the second half, letting teammates also get the chance to embarrass Texas. Welcome back, Whitney!

Seriously, welcome back after that disaster.

And now, Sherri!

The ladies (don't call 'em Lady Sooners like Billy does) return to action 8 p.m. Oklahoma time on Wednesday, visiting Colorado for hopefully the last time, allegedly getting televised by FSN.

Boomer!

 

I'd add another award, that being the Player Who Kept the Ship on Course When the AA PG Got 3 Quick Fouls award, & it goes to Jaz. When she came in for DRob, it looked like the guys didn't miss a beat, & JH herself was especially aggressive on the offensive end. That little hesitation dribble move she had was a thing of beauty.

 

There's really not much to say - we trailed at half, we trailed at the end... token stat run:

Scoring Sooner: D-Rob (21)
Only two Sooners scored in double figures. The other was Morgan, with 10.

Rebounding machine: Whitney (8)
She only scored three points last night, so this was her stat highlight.

It wasn't the threes: 33 percent (4 for 12)

It also wasn't the frees: 87.5 percent (14 for 16)

It was...

Fouls: Carlee and Whitney (5)
D-Rob added four herself.

Turnovers: Team (17)
Aaryn had 5, Whitney had 4, uggggh

Final: Those Big 12 traitors 73, OUverrated 68.

We don't deserve to be ranked #15 after that performance. Look for Sherri to double whatever she made them do after the UConn loss. We haven't lost to a Big 12 North team since 2005, no joke. Got something to add, Sherri?

Boomer

 

NP and I were at the game yesterday. A wonderful crowd, a really competitive game (we also saw the KU mens game the day before at LNC and the first six innings of the Oakland beatdown - we left when it was 17-nil) and I think we all felt robbed at the end when the game-winning shot rolled around forever and rimmed out.

Scoring Sooner: Vegas and D-Rob (25 each)
They were both virtually unstoppable all night. Barring a sophomore slump next season, you can pretty much assume Aaryn is Danielle's heir apparent.

Rebounding machine: Carlee (11)
She also had 11 points, giving her a double-double.

FREE throws: Team (20 for 22)
With a few Griner early jumps, we were able to maintain perfection till late in the game.

The reasons we lost:

Guarding the 3: Baylor had many open looks at the 3-line, with the double-team effort on Griner. They shot 48 percent, 13 of 27.

Missing the 3: We also had some good looks that just didn't fall, 3 of 13 overall, starting about 0 for 7 if I recall correctly.

Best moments of the game:

Sulky Mulkey's Technical: Don't pay attention to the box score on SS.com, there WAS a technical last night and it was glorious. Mulkey was T'd up after getting over-animated the entire game. It was almost more fun to watch her reaction to every non-call and call in our favor that the actual game at some points, and the refs finally had enough.

Griner's frustration: You know how I said we were double teaming Britney a lot? She finally had enough at one point and locked up with one of our players, throwing them backward (but she ended up on the ground too). TWEET! Offensive foul. This is what finally sent Mulkey over the edge.

The emergence of Nicole Griffin: Look which freshman earned a starting spot? She was part of the pizz-off-Griner gameplan that almost worked. Nicole will be better than Griner if this keeps up, even if she can't dunk.

Carlee: I heard Big Ben was in the crowd somewhere last night, but regardless, she played extremely hard last night till she fouled out. She might not put up the stats her teammates do most nights, but she really really runs and kept us in the game early-on.

Sherri Coale's hugs: Pregame to D-Rob for her scoring 2,000 points, after Nicole fouled out, after Carlee fouled out, and her words of encouragement to the crowd and team postgame. Sherri was clearly frustrated with the non-foul call and the shot not dropping at the end, but she kept her poise and still found something good to say to the thousands in attendance.

You can view highlights on SS.com here. (warning: also includes baylor highlights)

Boomer anyways

 

What did she say to the crowd in her post game remarks?

 

Ben was there, along with GK and TGRW. I tried to get a flag football game going at halftime, but no dice.

 

She said that she loved the crowd's effort and she loved that Danielle was willing to step up and take the final shot. Both statements got huge ovations from the crowd. The guy that was interviewing her (was it Billy Tubbs? Not sure) was all kind of like "Hey hey, D-Rob probably got fouled on that last shot, didn't she?" I don't think Coale appreciated that statement, because she didn't address the reffage that was going on last night. Speaking of football players in attendance, Griner looked like she threw a block in the back on that play.

You know how you can tell when someone is walking angry from behind by the way their hair moves? Coale was definitely stomping angrily to the back in her stilettos, perhaps to find where the zebras went. She kept her poise for the postgame handshakes and the postgame interview, but after she was outta sight... you just know.

Another heartbreaking loss. Just... heartbreaking.

 

I don't think she minds Billy asking quetions like that. Billy can get away with it. She'll get fined if she comments on the officiating.

 

I know, that's why I don't think she liked the question she was cordial, but very upset at that point, but probably not at Billy (or whoever the interviewer was), but at the end of the game.

I was very surprised that Morgan's first playing time of the game was... in-bounding the ball with 8-ish left. I know she's had good endgame moments though, but I wished she had played earlier. We might have had a chance of making more 3's then.

 

We saw bri at halftime or something next to the north basket. Didn't look like you had the energy for flag football I imagine they had you running around a lot for that game.

Really, really sad about this one. I can talk about calls, but for the most part the officials were okay. I don't think we got any 50/50 calls and that hurt, but what killed us were breakdowns in the first half and a killer night by #0.

Griner struggled with fundamentals and I was very impressed with our girls' ability to confuse and frustrate her in the paint on both ends. Skeletor needs to work on her coaching before she complains to the refs. The guards had no idea what to do with their star being stuffed down low, and they're lucky that what'sherface shot 75% from downtown no matter how open she was.

 

It was the radio voice of the Sooners, Brian Brinkley that did the postgame interview.

 

Yeah, Billy slurs too much to run things down there. :O

 

Billy just does color for the SSN telecasts with Bob Carpenter. And he's AMAZING.

 

Yeah, he's got a knack for making our men's team fun to watch. Not easy.

 

DUNK IT!

 

Hey, it's SENIOR NIGHT!

7 p.m. tonight on KAUT Ch. 43 in OKC, COX Ch. 74 in Tulsa and ESPN Full Court PPV according to SS.com.

How bad are the Cowgirls this year without Andrea Riley? Terri-bad. Only three conference wins so far. We will of course start all of our seniors... and it looks like the plan is to match them up with two froshies, Vegas and Nicole Griffin... nickname TBD. Yup, Whitney's giving up her starter spot to Lauren. but hey, that's Senior Night.

Preview on SS.com here and another preview at the Tulsa World here. A review of D-Rob's OU career on NewsOK here and another on Norman Transcript here. Around the media wire, OUDaily.com has a cute history lesson on the program under Sherri here.

If you only have time for one, check out the student newspaper's history lesson. Has some fun quotes... like this!

At times like this when we can't seem to beat any legit opponents on home court or away, it's tempting to become a huge OU baseball fan or look forward to football season or something. But if you find yourself wavering, remember how long Sherri's worked to build this program and how hard our players have fought despite some talent discrepancies this year... despite that, we still have the chance to make a deep run in both the Big 12 tourney and NCAA's. Don't give up on this team!

...and for negative reinforcement motives, just remember how awesome the men's team was a few years ago and how much we'd be begging to have that team back now. No, it didn't win Big 12 or national titles, but it WON. And don't EVER take that for granted when you have a team that wins.

BOOMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

it wasn't calls..OU got away with some as well...it was NOT guarding the freshman...I can see giving up a couple of 3's but when the kid is shooting 8 out of 12 and you still leave her open?...wow...play a diamond and 2...

I definitely would have FRONTED Griner and force her down not trying to double team her everytime...use the bigger girls..(heavier) use that weight...Griffin is too skinny .....just me 2 cents worth...

 

Is this game on tv. I can't seem to find it but I was told it would be.

And last update I saw OSU up 18-14 but I'm sure that will change really soon