Bedlam Rivals Meet in Stillwater Wednesday

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Feb. 6 | 8 p.m. | Stillwater, Okla.

WEDNESDAY'S GAME BASICS

Oklahoma (5-15, 1-8 Big 12) travels to Oklahoma State (12-8, 3-6 Big 12) for the first Bedlam matchup of the season on Wednesday. The Sooners are 14-8 against the Cowgirls in Stillwater during the Big 12 era and lead the all-time series, 61-42. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT from Gallagher-Iba Arena.

ON THE AIR

Wednesday's game will be televised on Fox Sports Networks with Ron Thulin (play-by-play) and Brenda VanLengen (analyst) on the call. The contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City; KREF 99.3 FM/1400 AM in Norman; TuneIn Radio App) with Brian Brinkley calling the action.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

• Wednesday's contest marks the 103rd all-time meeting between Bedlam rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Last season, the Cowgirls topped the Sooners in Stillwater, 96-82, on Jan. 7, 2018, before OU fell to Oklahoma State, 70-67, on Jan. 20, 2018, in Norman (box scores/cumulative stats from last year's two meetings are on page 27 of these notes). Four of the last six matchups between the two teams have been decided by six points or less.

• Over the last five games, the Sooners have seen a dramatic increase in their free throw percentage. Since Jan. 19, the Sooners are shooting .750 from the free throw line. OU shot just .577 from the charity stripe in non-conference play, but currently ranks fourth in the league with a .708 free throw percentage against Big 12 opponents.

• Taylor Robertson ranks sixth in the country with 3.50 3-pointers per game and ranks ninth nationally with 70 made 3-pointers this season. The freshman is second on the Sooners' freshman record list for 3-pointers made in a single-season. She continues to lead the conference in 3-point shooting percentage (.439) and free throw percentage (.918).

• Sophomore guard Ana Llanusa led the Sooners in scoring with 17 points against Texas on Sunday. Llanusa is averaging a team-best 13.9 points per game in conference play. The sophomore has led the Sooners in scoring three times in Big 12 play.

• Oklahoma's top seven scorers are in their first or second year of Division I basketball with four of the seven being freshmen. Freshman guard Taylor Robertson ranks ninth in the Big 12 in scoring with 15.4 points per game this season and leads the conference with 70 made 3-pointers. Ninety-six percent of Oklahoma's scoring comes from its freshmen and sophomore classes.

PREVIEWING OKLAHOMA STATE

• Oklahoma State enters Wednesday's Bedlam matchup with a 12-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in Big 12 play after falling to TCU, 69-55, on the road Sunday. The Cowgirls are averaging 67.2 points per game (ranks eighth in the Big 12) on .378 field goal (last), .352 3-point (third) and .713 free throw (third) shooting. In conference play, Oklahoma State is averaging 61.4 points (ranks eighth in the league) on .358 field goal (ninth), .340 3-point (fifth) and .746 free throw shooting (second). The Cowgirls rank second in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (7.2).

• Sophomore guard Vivian Gray leads the Cowgirls with 18.5 points in her first season at Oklahoma State. Gray ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring this season and is second in the league with an .845 free throw percentage. Gray is also sixth in the league in blocked shots per contest (1.4). In league play, Gray is averaging 20.3 points per contest, which is the second-best scoring average in the Big 12.

• Sophomore guard Braxtin Miller is fifth in the Big 12 with 17.2 points per game. The sophomore is also ninth in the conference with a .376 3-point percentage and is 11th in the league with 3.7 assists per game. Miller was a 2018 All-Big 12 honorable mention pick and earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshmen Team.

• Senior forward LaTashia Jones is fifth in the conference with 8.4 rebounds per game.

• Jim Littell is in his eighth season at Oklahoma State with a 159-87 overall record.

Madi Williams

Madi Williams finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes against No. 12/14 Texas on Saturday.

GAME 20 RECAP: TEXAS

• Sophomore Ana Llanusa led the Sooners with 17 points, while freshman Madi Williams scored 16 but the Sooners could not overcome a slow start as No. 12/14 Texas defeated Oklahoma, 76-67, on Saturday inside Lloyd Noble Center. The Longhorns jumped out to a 18-6 lead behind four 3-pointers midway through the opening quarter to build an early advantage. Down 12 points at the break, Williams scored the first seven points of the third quarter for the Sooners to bring the Texas lead down to eight points, but OU could not get closer.

• Llanusa led OU in scoring for the third time this season, recording 10 of her team-high 17 points in the second half. The sophomore scored the final seven points of the first half for the Sooners. Llanusa finished 6-of-13 from the field, while knocking down 4-of-5 attempts from the free throw line and finishing with five rebounds.

• Williams logged seven rebounds and was 4-for-15 from the field and 8-of-12 at the foul line against Texas. The freshman scored 11 points in the second half and was 7-of-10 at the charity stripe during the final two quarters. Williams also matched her career highs with three assists and two steals.

• Texas was led by Jatarie White, who scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Joyner Holmes earned a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

BEDLAM SERIES HISTORY

• OU leads the all-time series, 61-42, against Oklahoma State with the Sooners winning 18 out of the last 25 meetings. OU is 14-8 in the Big 12 era at Gallagher-Iba Arena, but the Cowgirls have won four of the last six meetings in Stillwater.

• Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 33-13 in the Bedlam series during her tenure.

• The Sooners' 61 victories over the Cowgirls are the most over any opponent for Oklahoma.

WELCOME BACK ANA

• OU's young roster received a boost on Jan. 2 with the return of sophomore guard Ana Llanusa. The sophomore led OU with 17 points on Saturday against Texas and is averaging a team-best 13.9 points per game in Big 12 play, which also ranks 14th in the league.

• The sophomore returned to the starting lineup against Texas on Jan. 9 and has scored 10-plus points six times in her first nine games back from injury. Llanusa missed 10 games from Nov. 15 to Jan. 2 due to foot surgery.

• At Iowa State, the sophomore turned in the best performance of her collegiate career, finishing with career-highs of 35 points, 15 made free throws and four steals. Llanusa's 35 points are the most scored by a Big 12 player in a game this season and are the most by a Sooner in a single game since 2014.

• Llanusa's 35 points rank as the seventh-most scored by a Sooner in a Big 12 game. She joins Aaryn Ellenberg, Courtney Paris (twice), Danielle Robinson and Phylesha Whaley (twice) as the only OU players to score 35-plus points against a Big 12 opponent.

QUICK HITS

• Taylor Robertson ranks third nationally among Division I freshmen with a .906 free throw percentage, which would rank as the second-best clip in school history by an OU freshman.

• OU ranks fourth in the Big 12 during league play with a .708 free throw percentage. The Sooners posted a .577 clip from the free throw line in non-conference play and have dramatically improved their percentage in Big 12 play. Robertson leads all Big 12 players with a .926 clip in conference play.

• The Sooners are fourth in the Big 12 with 8.3 steals per game during the regular season. Freshman guard Tatum Veitenheimer is 11th in the league with 1.6 steals per game.

• Oklahoma's 30 made free throws at Iowa State on Jan. 19 rank as the most made by a Big 12 team this season. It was the most free throws made by the Sooners in a single game since the 2013-14 season (35, vs. Louisville).

• Ana Llanusa's 15 made free throws at Iowa State are the most scored by a Big 12 player this season and are tied for ninth-most nationally in a single game.

• Nydia Lampkin's six points against Texas on Sunday set a career high for the freshman. Lampkin hit a pair of free throws and finished 2-of-3 from the field against the Longhorns.

• Oklahoma's strength of schedule currently ranks 10th nationally among Division I teams. Its the second straight season that OU is projected to finish in the top-10 nationally in strength of schedule.

• Oklahoma's run of 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances ranks as the longest active streak by a team in the Big 12 and the fifth-best active streak among Division I women's basketball teams. OU's 19 straight NCAA bids is the ninth longest streak all-time in Division I. Only Tennessee (37), Stanford (31), Connecticut (30) and Notre Dame (23) have made more consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament than the Sooners.

• The Sooners tied for third place in the Big 12 with an 11-7 mark in league play during the 2017-18 season and finished the regular season ranked second in the nation in strength of schedule a year ago. OU has won at least 10 Big 12 games in 12 of the last 13 seasons.

UP NEXT

The Sooners take on Kansas State on Sunday 2 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. OU will host its annual Play4Kay game against the Wildcats. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

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