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Oklahoma Basketball: Observations From Lady Sooners First League Loss

By Chip Rouse

Mar 5, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Peyton Little (10) drives to the basket against Oklahoma State Cowgirls guard Brittney Martin (22) in the fourth quarter during the women
Mar 5, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Peyton Little (10) drives to the basket against Oklahoma State Cowgirls guard Brittney Martin (22) in the fourth quarter during the women /
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Oklahoma basketball suffered a road twin killing this weekend. After the men fell by 11 at Kansas State, 24 hours later the Sooner women stalled early and were unable to make up the difference late, losing 83-73 in a battle of ranked teams at West Virginia.

Jan 3, 2016; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears guard Kristy Wallace (4) makes hte steal on Oklahoma Sooners guard Gabbi Ortiz (21) during the first half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears guard Kristy Wallace (4) makes hte steal on Oklahoma Sooners guard Gabbi Ortiz (21) during the first half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Sherri Coale’s Lady Sooners couldn’t get anything to drop in the opening quarter against the 17th-ranked Mountaineers on Sunday, connecting on just four of 15 shots for a dismal 27 percent, and found themselves down by seven points after the opening quarter.

Oklahoma shot better in the second quarter, but so did West Virginia, and by halftime the Mountaineer lead had swelled from seven points to 17.

The Sooners shaved eight points off of the Mountaineer lead by the end of the third quarter, and got to within five in the final frame but no closer as West Virginia pulled away at the end to win by 10.

The loss was 20th-ranked Oklahoma’s first in Big 12 action. The Sooner women are 3-1 in the Big 12 and 12-4 overall. West Virginia evened its conference record to 2-2; the Mountaineers are 14-2 through all games.

Here are half-a-dozen key observations from the West Virginia game and the first conference loss by the Sooner women this season:

  • OU junior guard Gabbi Ortiz scored 15 points in the West Virginia game, twice her season average. Thirteen of her points came in the second half, including three made three-pointers.
  • Oklahoma is 5-7 against West Virginia all-time in women’s basketball. The Sooners have lost five times, however, in five trips to Morgantown to play the Mountaineers.
  • Senior guard Peyton Little,  the Sooners’ leading scorer on the season, was OU’s top point producer at West Virginia on Sunday with 17 points. She has scored in double-digits in 11 of OU’s 16 games this season and has reached double figures 53 times in her Oklahoma career.
  • Oklahoma did not shoot particularly well in this game, and the Sooners’ defense wasn’t much better. West Virginia shot 52 percent for the game. That is the second-highest shooting performance against the Lady Sooners this season.
  • West Virginia recorded eight more rebounds in the game than the Sooners and outscored OU in second-chance points 17-6.
  • Oklahoma started two freshman in the game, 6-foot, 9-inch center Nancy Mulkey and guard Chelsea Dungee, to go along with senior Peyton Little and juniors Maddie Manning and Gabbi Ortiz.

The Oklahoma women stay on the road with a Wednesday game this week at Iowa State (10-5, 1-3), then return home for a game on Saturday, hosting Texas Tech (10-5, 2-2).

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