| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin had a height advantage against
Oklahoma and knew how to use it.
The 19th-ranked Badgers pounded the ball inside against Oklahoma (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 12 AP) time after time for easy shots and beat the Sooners 97-77
Friday for third place in the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge.
Bouncing back from an 83-56 loss to No. 5 Notre Dame in the
first round, Wisconsin (2-2) shot 63.3 percent in the first half,
had five players score in double figures and outrebounded the
Sooners 48-28.
"This is really the first time in a long time I can remember us
dominating a team that was this good at our place," Wisconsin
coach Jane Albright said. "This is how it should be when you come
in the Kohl Center."
Tamara Moore and Jessie Stomski each scored 23 points and Nina
Smith had a career-high 20 as the Badgers won for only the second
time in their last 18 games against ranked teams. Kyle Black added
14 points and LaTonya Sims 10.
Smith, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, posted up with little challenge
from her defenders and went 8-for-10 from the field in topping her
previous high of 16 points last season. Stomski made 10-of-15 shots
and grabbed 15 rebounds.
"When we went back and watched the game film from the Notre
Dame game, we weren't posting up very aggressively," Stomski said.
"It's hard to expect your guards to get the ball to you when
you're not posting hard enough. We showed that we really wanted the
ball and they got it to us great."
Oklahoma (2-2) missed its first 10 shots and was out of
contention by halftime. The Sooners made only 8-of-30 shots in the
first half and shot 35 percent for the game.
"I think most of that was us," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale
said. "I don't take anything away from them. They were very, very
good. But we've got to make plays. We've got to make open shots."
Stacey Dales led Oklahoma with 21 points, 17 coming in the
second half when the game was out of reach. Rosalind Ross added 19
for the Sooners, LaNeisha Caufield scored 14 and Jamie Talbert 13.
Oklahoma did not make a basket until Caufield hit a jump shot at
the 14:20 mark and the Sooners didn't have their first assist until
Dales fed Talbert for a layup with 3:13 left in the first half. By
then, Wisconsin was up by 22.
There were 58 fouls in the game -- 29 on each team. Three
Wisconsin players and one from Oklahoma fouled out.
Despite its shooting woes, Oklahoma stayed in the game early.
Wisconsin was called for 10 fouls in the first 6:50 and Oklahoma
sank 8-of-11 free throws during that stretch. When Caufield stole
the ball and made a layup, the Sooners trailed only 15-12.
Wisconsin then started making outside shots to go with their
inside scoring and pulled away. Sims had nine points, including a
3-pointer, and Smith scored seven in a 27-8 run that stretched the
lead to 42-20.
Moore's 3-pointer gave the Badgers their biggest lead of the
half, 49-24, and they led 54-32 at halftime. Oklahoma was never
closer than 15 points in the second half.
"We can't give a team 54 points in the first half," Coale
said. "That's a final total, not a halftime total. We have to find
some answers on the inside play of our defense."
| |
ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Oklahoma Clubhouse
Wisconsin Clubhouse
|
