The No. 4 Lady Bears held off a late run by the No. 23 Sonoers to extend their win streak to 15 on Monday in Norman, Okla.
The Lady Bears went on an 8-0 run to end the first quarter with a commanding lead, 18-6.
The Lady Bears continued to dominate from the field as they ended the half on top, 38-28.
Coming back from the half, a quick run in the third for the Lady Bears made it seem that they would take full control of the game.
The Lady Bears forced four quick turnovers for the Sooners and capitalized on second-chance looks after bringing in the offensive rebound.
Sooner head coach Sherri Coale was forced to call a timeout when they struggled to produce any made field goals five minutes into the third quarter.
Continuing to make shots in transition, sophomore guard Kristy Wallace came up big for the Lady Bears, scoring seven points in the third quarter.
However, the Sooners (18-10, 9-8) were not going to go down without a fight. Sooner sophomore guard Gabbi Ortiz drained a three to get the crowd behind them.
Going up by as many as 19 in the third quarter, the Sooners were able to close the gap to 11 going into the fourth.
Freshman forward Beatrice Mompremier went into the fourth quarter, making a quick impact. Mompremier scored off an offesnive rebound two possessions in a row to give the Lady Bears a boost.
Ortiz knocked down another big three-pointer as the Lady Bears saw their lead get cut to nine with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation.
A 9-0 run by the Sooners put them back within two (60-58) with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.
Junior guard Alexis Jones answered back, making three big jump shots late in the fourth to help put the Lady Bears up 68-61.
Junior forward Nina Davis drew a foul with 1:46 remaining after scoring, which effectively put the game out of reach for the Sooners.
Late layups and free throws by the Lady Bears combined with stops on the defensive end halted the Sooners’ momentum, giving the Lady Bears the win, 78-70.
Jones was the difference maker for the Lady Bears, scoring 22 points on the game and grabbing seven rebounds.
Baylor faces Kansas State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
