Women's Hoops Hits Road For Showdown in Lubbock

NORMAN – Led by Ana Llanusa, who is averaging a league-best 25 points per game in Big 12 play, No. 19 Oklahoma hits the road as it resumes its conference slate Wednesday night at Texas Tech. The matchup is set for 7 p.m. at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. The game will air on ESPN+ with Ron Thulin and Brandi Poole on the call. On the Sooner Radio Network, Chris Plank will call the action.

The contest will feature two of the nation's winningest teams, as Oklahoma has notched 12 wins while Texas Tech is 13-3 and 1-2 in the conference.

THE STARTING FIVE

Madi Williams, named to the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List last week, enters the night on the cusp of OU history. The redshirt senior needs just two assists to become the first player in school history to eclipse 2,000 points, 850 rebounds and 300 assists in their career. Williams passed 2,000 points and 850 rebounds earlier this season to join Courtney Paris, Phylesha Whaley, and Molly McGuire as one of four OU players to hit those career marks.
Sharpshooting guard Taylor Robertson enters Wednesday's game just 10 3-pointers shy of tying the all-time NCAA 3-point record of 497, held currently by Kelsey Mitchell. Robertson's 487 career treys are the most of any men's or women's Big 12 basketball player ever. She is the NCAA active career leader in 3-pointers, 3-point field goal percentage and ranks in the top five in free throw percentage and points.
Texas Tech (13-3, 1-2 Big 12) ranks just outside the nation's top 100 in both scoring defense (60.6) and offense (70.4). Off to their best start of the Gerlich era, the Lady Raiders have a Big 12-best 13 wins on the year. They were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll and have dropped two of their first three conference games to ranked opponents, and their lone win came vs. TCU (6-8, 0-3 Big 12).
Oklahoma already has wins over five NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago, dispatching BYU (11/15), UT Arlington (11/20), Ole Miss (12/4), Florida (12/21) and Iowa State (1/8). The Sooners are a Big 12-best 5-2 (.714) vs. top-100 teams in the latest NET. OU is 14-0 under Baranczyk vs. teams outside of the NET's top 100.
The leading candidate for Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year again this season, Skylar Vann is the only player in the country to average 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds without a start this season.

SERIES HISTORY

The Sooners and Lady Raiders have met 67 times before Wednesday night, with OU holding a strong 40-27 advantage. The Sooners own the series lead in both Norman and Lubbock. Since 2006, Oklahoma is 30-7 vs. the Lady Raiders, including a 16-game win streak from 2007 to 2019. OU has only lost five times in Lubbock since the turn of the century.

LAST TIME OUT

The lead changed 10 times in the final 3:23 of regulation, but Skylar Vann's turnaround bucket over Ashley Joens pushed No. 17 Oklahoma over No. 11 Iowa State, 82-79, in Norman on Sunday afternoon. The win over the 11th-ranked Cyclones was the fifth top-25 variety of the Jennie Baranczyk era and the first of this season as Oklahoma (12-2, 2-1 Big 12) remains near the top of the Big 12 standings early in conference play.

UP NEXT

The Sooners return to Norman for their third consecutive top-25 home matchup on Saturday (1/14) when No. 23 Kansas comes to the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will tip at 2 p.m. and be available on ESPN+.