Belmont took the lead late in the third quarter, stunning most in the Lloyd Noble Center.
Oklahoma, though, went to its most-consistent player, Raegan Beers, to lead the Sooners in the fourth quarter for a win.
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No. 6 Oklahoma women’s basketball team beat Belmont 84-67 Monday inside the Lloyd Noble Center to win on the first day of the college basketball season. The Sooners couldn’t keep the Bruins away, but facilitated their offense through Beers, a preseason All-American, and the paint to surge past Belmont.
Belmont took the lead 54-51 with 3:27 left in the third quarter, but the Sooners just went to their bread and butter, using the paint to dominate the rest of the game.
After the Bruins got the lead, OU’s 31 of its remaining 33 points were from the paint or free-throw line, led by Beers, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds.
“I thought there were some things she did a great job at,” said OU coach Jennie Baranczyk. “We still have to find more-creative ways to be able to get it to her, honestly.”
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The Sooners didn’t shoot it well and will need to make more shots against tougher opponents, including OU’s next game Monday against No. 3 UCLA in Sacramento.
OU shot 3-23 (13%) from 3-point range and 15-30 (50%) from the free-throw line. Just an all-around bad shooting night for the Sooners.
OU started to make shots late, which is what allowed them to pull away, but they were mostly all from the paint.
“I hope (it’s abnormal),” Baranczyk said. “I do think we got a little 3-pointer happy when there was obviously something that we were looking for, especially on the interior with Raegan… I think the biggest lesson is that if we guard better, it turns into points.”
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The Sooners buckled down defensively after losing the lead, allowing just 13 points in the final quarter and change.
That defensive surge was led by Sahara Williams, who had two steals and a game-high 14 rebounds.
“I thought Sahara really led us in the fourth quarter in terms of just guarding better,” Baranczyk said. “When we play together, that’s where your assists come, that’s when your high-percentage shots come, that’s when more one-on-one coverage comes and there’s a lot less game-planning when you guard better.”
