by AUSTIN, Texas – No. 20/20 Oklahoma fell on the road Tuesday night, 86-68, to No. 12/14 Texas inside Frank Erwin Center.
After trailing at halftime, the Sooners (14-5, 5-2 Big 12) battled their way back to cut Texas’ (13-4, 7-0 Big 12) advantage down to 58-56 with 7:36 left in the fourth quarter. OU clawed back in the second half by finishing 16-for-16 at the free throw line in the final two quarters.
In a close game, the Longhorns led 68-64 with 4:36 to go, but Texas would close the game on a 20-4 run to hold off the Sooners.
Vionise Pierre-Louis led Oklahoma with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds. In a career-high 35 minutes, the junior center finished 5-of-10 from the floor and tied her season high with four blocks in the contest.
Freshman guard Chelsea Dungee (Cherokee Nation) scored 15 points off the bench, tying her season high. Dungee was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, becoming the first OU player since Danielle Robinson in 2011 to finish with a perfect night (minimun 10 attempts) from the free throw line in a Big 12 game.
Redshirt senior guard Peyton Little added in 14 points, four rebounds and two steals. Maddie Manning and T’ona Edwards scored nine points apiece.
The Sooners and Longhorns battled back and forth in the opening stanza, swapping the lead three times to begin the game. Texas outscored OU, 17-10, in the second quarter to take an 11-point lead into halftime. OU quickly battled back as 3-pointers from Little and Dungee cut the deficit down to just five points midway through the third quarter.
Texas was led by freshman Joyner Holmes, who picked up a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ariel Atkins recorded 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Brooke McCarty finished with 16 points and hit four 3-pointers. Brianna Taylor led all players with 11 rebounds.
The Longhorns outshot the Sooners, .493-.350, from the field and, .417-.348, from beyond the arc. OU finished 18-of-19 from the line with a season-high .947 free throw percentage. OU’s 16 straight free throw makes in the second half tied a school record against a Big 12 opponent.
OU returns home on Sunday to take on Oklahoma State in the first Bedlam game of the season. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.CT at Lloyd Noble Center. Sunday’s game will air on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
