OU Looks to Bounce Back Wednesday at K-State

Oklahoma

Kansas State

Jan. 17 | 7 p.m. | Manhattan, Kan,

WEDNESDAY'S GAME BASICS

The Sooners (8-9, 3-3 Big 12) travel to Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday to face Kansas State (11-6, 3-3 Big 12) at 7 p.m. CT. OU looks to rebound after falling to No. 5/5 Baylor on Sunday at home, while the Wildcats enter Wednesday's game after knocking off No. 20/21 Oklahoma State, 80-64, at home on Saturday. OU leads the all-time series with the Wildcats, 37-26, and looks to snap a two-game losing skid on the road versus Kansas State.

ON THE AIR

Wednesday's game will be streamed on the WatchESPN app with Brian Smoller and Kristin Waller on the call. The contest will also air on the Sooner Radio Network with Ed Murray and McKenna Treece calling the action.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

• Oklahoma is 37-26 all-time against Kansas State and has won 17 out of the last 20 meetings against the Wildcats. Since the formation of the Big 12, OU has won 23 of the last 30 meetings between the two teams. The Sooners look to snap a two-game losing skid in Manhattan as they travel to Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday.

• The teams split last year's two meetings with the home team winning each contest. OU topped K-State, 85-80, at home in overtime on Jan. 4, while the Wildcats held off the Sooners, 79-71, in Manhattan on Feb. 21. Vionise Pierre-Louis averaged 19.0 points per game on .696 field goal shooting against Kansas State last season. Gabbi Ortiz shot .500 (6-of-12) from 3-point range against the Wildcats and averaged 13.5 points per game a year ago versus K-State.

• OU ranks second in the conference during league play with 10.7 steals per game. The Sooners have recorded at least eight steals in five of six Big 12 games to start league play. The Sooners finished with a team-high 15 steals at Texas Tech as Maddie Manning and Gabbi Ortiz lead the Sooners with 3.0 swipes a game against conference foes.

• Ana Llanusa and Vionise Pierre-Louis have carried the Sooners' offensively over the last three games. Pierre-Louis is averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game and shooting .553 from the field during that stretch. The senior led OU with 22 points at Texas Tech last Wednesday. Llanusa is averaging 16.0 points a game and shooting.441 from the field and .438 from 3-point range. The Choctaw, Okla., native has scored in double figures 11 times through 17 games.

• Wednesday's game features the top three scorers among Big 12 freshmen this season. K-State's Rachel Ranke leads all Big 12 freshman with 12.2 points per game, while OU's Ana Llanusa is second averaging 12.0 points a contest. OU's Shaina Pellington is third among all Big 12 freshmen at 11.8 points a game this season.

GAME 17 RECAP: BAYLOR

• Oklahoma grabbed a first quarter lead against No. 5 Baylor, but the Lady Bears prevailed, 74-52, over the Sooners on Sunday inside Lloyd Noble Center. OU led 22-16 after the opening quarter as the Sooners held Baylor without a field goal for nearly the first five minutes of the game. Ana Llanusa poured in 10 points in the quarter and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as the Sooners finished 8-of-15 from the field in the opening frame.

• Llanusa led the Sooners with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Llanusa's 19 points are the most points scored by the freshman against a Big 12 foe this season and her second-most points scored in a game this year. Vionise Pierre-Louis added 14 points and finished with five rebounds and three blocks, while Gabbi Ortiz led OU with six rebounds and finished in double figures with 11 points.

• OU was limited to a season-low .268 field goal percentage as the Sooners finished 15-of-56 from the field. The Sooners finished with a .350 clip (7-of-20) from deep and posted a .714 free throw percentage (15-of-21). The Sooners held Baylor to just 3-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc, but the Lady Bears posted a .492 field goal percentage (30-of-61).

• OU limited the Lady Bears to 33 first-half points, the second-lowest point total for Baylor to open a game this season. In the third quarter, Baylor outscored the Sooners by an 18-8 margin to extend its lead as OU finished with a .179 (5-of-28) field goal percentage in the second half.

Vionise Pierre-Louis

Vionise Pierre-Louis averaged 19.0 points per game and posted a .696 field goal percentage against K-State last season.

PREVIEWING KANSAS STATE

• Kansas State is 11-6 overall and 3-3 in Big 12 play. The Wildcats are coming off a 80-64 win against No. 20/21 Oklahoma State on Saturday inside Bramlage Coliseum. K-State averages 69.3 points per game (ranks seventh in the Big 12) on .438 field goal (sixth), .328 3-point (sixth) and .711 free throw shooting (third).

• Junior guard Kayla Goth leads the Wildcats in points per game (16.4) and assists per game (6.6) this season. Goth's 6.6 assists per contest leads the Big 12 and ranks 13th nationally, while her 16.4 points per contest ranks eighth in the conference. Sophomore forward Peyton Williams averages 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. Williams also lettered on K-State's volleyball team in 2017 and is the only volleyball/women's basketball player in the country this season.

• Freshman Rachel Ranke leads all Big 12 freshmen in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Ranke is second in the league with 2.9 3-pointers per game.

• Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie is 72-44 in his four seasons with the Wildcats. Mittie holds a 526-279 all-time record in 26 seasons as a collegiate head coach. He is 5-13 versus the Sooners during his career.

STEALING

• Since the start of Big 12 play, the Sooners have picked up the pressure defensively and are averaging 10.7 steals per game, which ranks second in the league.

• OU recorded at least eight steals in five of the first six conference games. The Sooners finished with 15 steals against Texas Tech in last Wednesday's road win in Lubbock.

• Maddie Manning logged a season-high eight steals at Texas Tech, which was just two shy of tying her career high. Manning is just one of three players in school history to have two games with eight-plus steals during their career (LaNeisha Caufield and Pam Pennon).

• Manning and Gabbi Ortiz are tied for the third in league play with 3.0 steals a game.

ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF

• OU's freshman trio of Ana Llanusa, Shaina Pellington and Mandy Simpson have excelled so far this season. Llanusa recorded a game-high 19 point against Baylor Sunday, finishing 5-of-11 from the field with 3-made treys. The freshman's 19 points were her most in a Big 12 game this season and are the second-most points Llanusa has scored in a single game this year.

• Llanusa, who has scored in double figures 11 times this season, enjoyed a breakout performance against New Mexico on Dec. 16 by scoring 27 points on 9-of-22 shooting, which is tied for tenth on OU's freshmen single-game scoring list. The Choctaw, Okla., native picked up her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week award for her performance.

• Pellington, the fourth Canadian to play for the Sooners, is averaging 11.8 points per game and is shooting .497 from the field. Pellngton has provided a spark for the Sooners offensively in OU's nine road games, averaging 12.8 points per game and shooting .511 from the field. The freshman tied her season high with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting at Iowa State on Dec. 31 to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors.

• Against TCU on Jan. 4, Pellington scored 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Sooners rally past the Horned Frogs. Pellington is the first OU freshman to score 20-plus points in back-to-back Big 12 games since 2011.

• Simpson has provided the Sooners with a consistent rebounder in her first season at OU. The Boise, Idaho, native pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds against New Mexico. Simpson has made nine starts and became just the 10th true freshman to start a season opener under Sherri Coale.

• Simpson recorded eight points in OU's Big 12 opener against Texas, the second-most points scored by the freshman in one game this year. Against Belmont, Simpson filled the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds and three steals in OU's 96-73 victory to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors.

UP NEXT

The Sooners return home to host Oklahoma State for the final Bedlam game of the season. The Cowgirls won the first matchup, 96-82, in Stillwater on Jan. 7. The game will be televised on the Fox Sports Network.

For more information on Oklahoma women's basketball, follow the Sooners on Twitter (@OU_WBBall) or like Oklahoma Sooners Women's Basketball on Facebook.