No. 23 WBB Upsets No. 17 Oklahoma Behind Andrews

Tuesday, January 3

Norman, Okla.

6 p.m.

Baylor

11-3,2-0Big 12

#17 Oklahoma

11-2,1-1Big 12

Baylor

Oklahoma

No. 23 WBB Upsets No. 17 Oklahoma Behind Andrews

1/3/2023 8:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Bears shut down Big 12's No. 1 offense

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            NORMAN, Okla. – On a Baylor team that featured three WNBA draft picks, Sarah Andrews didn't even have to play the Robin role last year.
            "Now, there are times when she's got to be Batman," coach Nicki Collen said.
            One of those times came Tuesday night, when Andrews stepped up to hit five 3-pointers and score a career-high 30 points to help the No. 23/21 Bears pull off a huge 81-70 road win over 17^th-ranked Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center.
            "The shots she made, the step-backs to create separation off the bounce, the attacking finishes she had . . . she acted like Batman today," Collen said. "That was a big step for her. I think at times, she's tried in big games. But it takes time to believe it, to see the ball go through."
            The Bears (11-3, 2-0) won their 12^th-consecutive conference game and moved atop the current Big 12 standings despite having three players foul out in a game where a combined 53 fouls were called and Oklahoma (11-2, 1-1) shot 32 free throws.
            Baylor won it with a defense that held the high-scoring Sooners to five first-quarter points – the fewest in any quarter in coach Jennie Baranczyk's first two seasons. OU, which came in averaging 88.4 points, shot only 31% overall and 8-of-29 from outside the 3-point arc.
            "Look, we had 10-point leads against that team last year that evaporated and we lost one-possession games," Collen said. "Keeping them at bay where they're not that one 3-point shot away, that one time you fall down and Taylor Robertson's standing there wide open . . . you have to keep them at bay, because they get super, super confident and comfortable the closer they get. They never think they're out of the game because of the 3-ball."
            The Bears, who never trailed, had a 16-0 first-quarter run that included eight points from freshman Bella Fontleroy and led 21-5. BU scored 11 points off the Sooners' seven first-quarter turnovers and held OU to 1-of-16 shooting from the field.
            "They're a team that plays make-miss," Collen said. "And when you get misses and you rebound, you play against their man-to-man, and we're really confident in our man-to-man actions and our step-ups and drags. We got pretty much anything we wanted when we moved the ball against their man-to-man, which they were in that entire first quarter because they couldn't get stops."
            Oklahoma turned that around with a 25-point second quarter to pull within 34-30 at the half, getting 10 points from Ana Llanusa and holding the Bears to just 2-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.
            "We fell in love with the 3 in the second quarter and didn't make any of them," Collen said. "That was a lot of it. We didn't get those rhythm easy shots in transition or attacking downhill like we did against their man."
            Baylor went on an 8-0 run in the third quarter to push the lead back to double digits. Caitlin Bickle scored on a layup and a pair of free throws, followed by two free throws by Andrews and a layup off a steal by Jaden Owens to make it 45-33.
            Andrews hit a pair of step-back 3-pointers and scored 12 points in the third to help the Bears take that 12-point lead into the fourth, 57-45.
            "One of the things we've talked to her about is she's got such a good handle and she's shifty and can shoot it, but don't settle," Collen said of Andrews, "because you're really good playing downhill. And you're going to put pressure on the (defense) if you play downhill. Getting to the free-throw line is a big part of that. One of the things she did today that I was super proud of is, even though she started making some of those 3's, she didn't just settle."
            Oklahoma got as close as six points when Skylar Van hit a 3-pointer and another jumper in the lane to make it 73-67 with 1:42 left. But Bickle provided the clincher when she hit Ja'Mee Asberry in stride with a long baseball pass that led to a three-point play with 28.9 seconds left.
            "That was a dime," Collen said. "That was a Heisman trophy quarterback Caleb Williams dime."
            Bickle recorded her second-career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds despite picking up three first-half fouls. Fontleroy, freshman Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Owens all fouled out, while Madi Williams and Liz Scott fouled out for the Sooners.
            Williams had 16 points and eight boards before fouling out on the Asberry layup, while Llanusa had 24 points and Robertson hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
            With an eight-point fourth quarter, including five in the last 30 seconds, Asberry chipped in with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals for the Bears. Owens added nine points, six assists and a career-high six steals before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
            Baylor goes back on the road to face another ranked team, playing No. 21/25 Kansas (11-1, 1-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lawrence. The Jayhawks opened league play with a road win at Oklahoma State and host Texas Tech Wednesday night.

No. 23 Baylor (11-3, 2-0 Big 12) 81, No. 17 Oklahoma (11-2, 1-1 Big 12) 70
Norman, Okla. (Lloyd Noble Center)
Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023

In their first true road game of the season, the No. 23 Baylor Bears picked up the 81-70 victory over the No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Baylor moved to 34-27 all-time in the series with Oklahoma and 16-12 on the road.
The win marked BU's second top-25 victory of the season.
The Bears held the Sooners to 18 points below their season average (88.42).
Baylor used a 16-1 run behind eight points from Bella Fontleroy to jump to a 21-5 lead in the opening frame, holding the Sooners to just 6.3% (1-for-16) shooting from the floor. The five points by OU were the fewest in a quarter by the Sooners in at least the last five seasons.
Junior Sarah Andrews poured in a career-high 30 points, marking the sixth 20-plus point performance of her career.
For the second-straight game, and 11th time this season, Jaden Owens led the Bears in assists, finishing with six.
Owens recorded a career-high six steals – the most in a game by a Bear since Dijonai Carrington tallied just as many in a win over McNeese on Dec. 19, 2020.
Fifth-year Caitlin Bickle notched her second double-double of the season, and second of her career, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.