The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
21-5, 14-1
No. 19/19 Oklahoma
21-6, 12-3
No. 8/8 Women's Basketball falls at No. 19/19 Oklahoma, 74-73
02.18.2017 | Women's Basketball
Junior Brooke McCarty led the way for Texas with 16 points.
Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Notes
NORMAN, Okla. – Junior Brooke McCarty posted a team-high 16 points as No. 8/8 Texas Women's Basketball (22-5, 14-1 Big 12 Conference) dropped its first Big 12 game of the season in a nail-biter to No. 19/19 (21-6, 12-3 Big 12 Conference) inside the Floyd Noble Center on Saturday afternoon.
Texas leads the all-times series over Oklahoma, 29-25, and splits the season series with the Sooners.
"You have to give Oklahoma a lot of credit," said Texas head coach Karen Aston. "We were out of sorts. We just couldn't execute the things we needed to."
McCarty complimented her 16 points with four rebounds and two assists. Senior Kelsey Lang finished just short of her double-dip with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Junior Ariel Atkins rounded out the Horns in double figures with 11 points and four boards while senior Brianna Taylor tied her career-high with six assists.
As a team, Texas shot 39.7 percent (27-68) while Oklahoma managed a 49.1 shooting percentage (27-55). The Longhorns outrebounded the Sooners, 40-32.
Oklahoma was led by junior Vionise Pierre-Louis with 21 points.
Neither team led by more than four points in the opening stanza. A McCarty triple tied the game at 11 with 5:03 remaining in the quarter, but the back and forth battle favored Oklahoma at the end of the first, 21-20.
The Sooners led by as many as six after a three-pointer at the 7:25 mark of the second, but a 6-0 Texas rally deep in the quarter made it an even 38-38 match with 1:35 left in the half. Oklahoma managed to capture the last four points to head into the locker room with the 42-38 lead.
A 7-0 Longhorns push capped with an Atkins jumper off a no-look pass put Texas up by three (49-46) at the 5:35 mark of the third. It remained a one-possession ball game from that point, but sophomore Lashann Higgs made an unbelievable buzzer beater from beyond half court to put Texas ahead, 59-56.
After the Horns increased their margin to six (62-56), the Sooners fired off a triple and layup to slow the Texas momentum and make it a one-point game (62-61 Longhorns) with 6:58 remaining in regulation. It was an even spread from there with a Sooner layup tying things at 70 all with 50 seconds on the clock.
Oklahoma's strength from downtown proved to be the difference maker down the stretch. The Sooners knocked down a triple off an inbound pass with three seconds remaining, and a quick Texas foul made the difference four (74-70) after one from the charity stripe. Freshman Alecia Sutton beat the buzzer with a three-pointer of her own, but the Sooners squeaked by with the 74-73 victory.
Coming up, Texas will return home to host No. 4/4 Baylor on Monday night. Tip-off inside the Erwin Center is set for 8 p.m. CT and the game will be carried nationally on ESPN2.
