Sooner Magic Powers Women's Hoops To Comeback Win Over BYU

Tuesday, November 15

Provo, Utah

4 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

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BYU

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Oklahoma

BYU

Sooner Magic Powers Women's Hoops To Comeback Win Over BYU

November 15, 2022 | Women's Basketball

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By: OU Athletics Communications

PROVO, Utah – It took a career night from Nevaeh Tot, Taylor Robertson scoring her 2,000th point and a 19-point second-half swing, but when the clock hit zero on Tuesday at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, No. 16 Oklahoma was still undefeated after knocking off BYU 77-66.

In a rematch of last year's game that saw the Sooners erase a 10-point Cougar lead to win in overtime, Oklahoma (3-0) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half but mounted the eighth double-digit comeback of the Jennie Baranczyk era to win by double digits.

"I'm really proud of our team for how they fought back and won the game," head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. "We definitely didn't play well enough in the first half, but we made some adjustments that worked later on. Overall, I am just so proud of these women for finding a way to win on the road."

The Sooners started slow, shooting just 35% from the field and 25% (2-of-8) from behind the arc as BYU (0-3) led 15-14 after 10 minutes. With a one-point lead, BYU used a 14-4 run to start the second quarter and grab its largest lead of the game, 29-18, with 5:25 left in the half. Oklahoma weathered the storm, and a Kiersten Johnson layup with 38 seconds left cut the BYU deficit to 34-26 at the break

The Sooners came out of the locker room to start the third quarter and turned on the jets. Ana Llanusa buried a 3-pointer on the first possession of the half, and OU kept the game within five for the next few minutes. The Crimson and Cream's game-changing run came later in the frame when a 15-2 Sooner run over 4:10 pushed the Sooners in front 52-47. The Cougars tied the game at 52 entering the fourth quarter but never led again. Up 61-60 with 2:45 left in the game, Tot laid it in to jumpstart a 14-6 run, in which the junior guard score nine points, to put the game away,

As a team, the Sooners' six turnovers were tied for the lowest for an OU team since the Big 12 formed, as OU had zero giveaways in the second half. In addition, Oklahoma is the first Big 12 team since at least 2009-10 to have six or fewer turnovers with 19-plus assists over 72 possessions or more. The Sooners dished out 19 assists and now lead the Big 12 with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, good for fifth in the nation. OU won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Cougs 44-42, led by Liz Scott's nine boards, who also tallied 12 points. The Sooners shot 37% but used a 42.5% shooting clip in the second half to overcome BYU.

Nevaeh Tot scored all 18 of her points in the second half, adding five rebounds and five assists with zero turnovers on her career night. Madi Williams, the Big 12's leading scorer, nearly maintained her season average of 22.0 points by pouring in 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting. The Wooden Award watch list honoree has now tallied back-to-back games of 10 field goals for the second time in her career, as she posted 10 and 13, respectively, vs. Oklahoma State and Iowa State in 2021. Robertson's second 3-pointer of the game pushed her over the 2,000-point threshold and into a tie with Katie Benzan for fifth all-time on the NCAA 3-pointers' list at 453 makes.

Oklahoma will look to sweep the Beehive State on Wednesday night when it faces No. 25 Utah at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Tip is slated for 8 p.m. CT on the Pac-12 Networks as OU looks to win its first true road game vs. a ranked non-conference opponent since knocking off No. 21 Michigan State in December 2007.