By Giana Pirolli | Sports Writer
No. 5 Baylor extended its winning streak to 12 straight, improving to 15-1, 5-0 with a 75-52 win at Oklahoma (8-9, 3-3). The win helps keep the Lady Bears atop the Big 12 standings with a half game lead over No. 7 Texas.
The Sooners opened the scoring with graduate guard Maddie Manning’s three-pointer. Sophomore guard Natalie Chou’s free throw put Baylor on the board, however the Sooners led for the entire first quarter.
Baylor senior guard Kristy Wallace’s would tie the game at 16 with a free throw with just over a minute left in the quarter. However, the Sooners would answer with the final six points of the quarter for a 22-16 lead, marking just the second time the Lady Bears have trailed this season after the first 10 minutes of play.
Sophomore guard Juicy Landrum’s three-pointer helped Baylor narrow the Sooners’ lead to 22-19. Senior forward Dekeiya Cohen’s made free throw with 8:39 to go in the second quarter also contributed to closing the gap to 22-20, but Oklahoma senior center Vionise Pierre-Louis’s pair of three throws helped the Sooners to regain control, making the score 24-20.
The Sooners led up until freshman guard Alexis Morris’ three-pointer, giving the Lady Bears a 31-30 lead for the first time the entire game. Going into halftime, the Lady Bears led Oklahoma 33-30.
Baylor opened stronger in the second half, outscoring the Sooners 18-8 in the third quarter to built a 51-38 lead. The Lady Bears continued to extend their lead in the fourth to as many as 28 at 72-44 before Oklahoma scored eight of the final 10 points of the game.
Cohen led the Lady Bears offensively with 16 points, with Wallace contributing 15 points and four assists. Wallace also became the 35th person in program history to eclipse the 1,000 career points mark.
Chou chipped in with 12 points as Baylor outshot Oklahoma 49 percent to 27 percent.
Oklahoma did limit junior center Kalani Brown to just nine points and sophomore forward Lauren Cox to eight. Cox, however tallied 10 rebounds to help Baylor win the battle on the glass, 47 to 29.
Freshman guard Ana Llanusa helped the Sooners stay in the game offensively with a game-high 19 points. Pierre-Louis had 14 points, while senior guard Gabbi Ortiz had 11.
The Lady Bears play Iowa State at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Ames, Iowa. Oklahoma plays Kansas State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Manhattan, Kan.
