Women's Hoops Heads to Ames For Battle at Top of Big 12

NORMAN – A battle to stay on top of the Big 12 conference standings is set for Saturday in Ames, Iowa, where No. 14 Oklahoma (16-3, 6-2) will take on No. 18 Iowa State in a game between two of the three teams that occupy the top spot in the league. The game tips at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Larry Morgan and Molly Parrott on the call. Brian Brinkley will have the game on the Sooner Radio Network.

Sharpshooting guard Taylor Robertson tied Kelsey Mitchell's NCAA career 3-point record of 497 on Wednesday vs. Texas, and enters Saturday's game needing just one (1) 3-pointer to become the new NCAA 3-point record holder. Robertson has made a 3-pointer in a Big 12 record 61 straight games. 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. Robertson will play in her 137th game on Saturday, compared to Mitchell's 139 career games played at Ohio State.

THE STARTING FIVE

A focal point of the offseason, the Sooners have been one of basketball's best rebounding teams this season and post 46.37 boards per game (6th NCAA, 1st Big 12). Oklahoma forces opponents into lots of missed shots and scoops the rebound. The Sooners' 32.1 defensive rebounds per game rank fifth nationally and 14.3 offensive boards per game are 38th in the NCAA.
Saturday's game marks the halfway point of the Big 12 slate, and an OU win at Hilton would keep the Sooners on top of the conference leaderboard. It would mark the first time since 2009, when Oklahoma won the league, that the Sooners would be atop the standings at the halfway point. The Sooners and Cyclones both enter the contest at 6-2 in conference play, matched only by Texas who hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday night.
Oklahoma has the nation's fifth best offense, scoring 85.8 points per game powered by a 20.6 assists (3rd NCAA) per game. The Sooners' 1.25 assist/turnover ratio ranks 14th nationally as the Crimson and Cream's 8.8 3-pointers per game are also 15th most in the country. The Sooners have scored at least 90 points in five of their last 11 contests, three of which came vs. Big 12 teams.
Oklahoma already has wins over six NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago, dispatching BYU (11/15), UT Arlington (11/20), Ole Miss (12/4), Florida (12/21), Iowa State (1/8) and Kansas (1/14) - a win on Saturday would mark the Sooners' seventh.
OU's starting five has amassed 457 starts for the Crimson and Cream, highlighted by Taylor Robertson's 136 and Madi Williams' 127. Robertson and Williams are on track to finish first and fourth, respectively, on Oklahoma's all-time starts list. Robertson needs just five more starts to break Danielle Robinson's record of 140. Oklahoma is one of three schools (Vermont and Columbia) to produce the same starting lineup in every game this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday's top-20 matchup marks the 72nd all-time meeting between the Sooners and Cyclones. Oklahoma holds a 42-29 advantage, but Iowa State maintains an 18-13 lead at Hilton. The Sooners got the best of the Cyclones in Norman earlier this season, knocking off ISU 82-79 on Jan. 8.

The only player on the Oklahoma roster than has won in Ames in sixth-year guard Ana Llanusa, who won in 2017. The Sooners have lost four straight at Hilton Coliseum, with the team's last road win coming on Dec. 31, 2017. Llanusa had five points in 22 minutes in that contest.

KNOW YOUR FOE

Iowa State (14-4, 6-2 Big 12) is tied with Oklahoma atop the Big 12 standings, and has won three in a row, including a 40-point win over TCU on Wednesday. The Cyclones are led by Ashley Joens (19.5 PPG, 9.7 RPG), whose sister Aubrey plays for the Sooners. Iowa State has played the nation's second-toughest schedule, with three of their four losses coming to ranked teams including then-No. 17 Oklahoma on Jan. 8 in Norman.

LAST TIME OUT

Taylor Robertson tied Kelsey Mitchell's NCAA career 3-point record of 497 made treys, but it wasn't enough as No. 14 Oklahoma fell on the road to Texas, 78-58, in Austin on Wednesday night. Robertson sunk a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter that pushed her into a tie atop the NCAA annals, but Oklahoma (16-3, 6-2 Big 12) shot just 22% (7-of-32) in the second half as Texas (15-6, 6-2 Big 12) pulled away. After the defeat, the Sooners moved into a first-place tie in the Big 12 with the Longhorns and No. 18 Iowa State.

UP NEXT

The Sooners welcome a return home on Jan. 31 when they host TCU at 6 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma is 9-1 in Norman this season, and defeated TCU in Fort Worth, 93-66, on Jan. 18.