bed-lam
pronunciation [bed-luhm]
1. a scene or state of wild uproar
2. a place or situation full of noise,
frenzied activity and confusion
synonyms:
-disorder, tumult, chaos, clamor,
turmoil, commotion, pandemonium.
Any time the definition of Bedlam is prominently displayed on the game notes, you know it’s going to be a hard-fought contest between in-state rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. And today is no exception.
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls are playing host to the Oklahoma Sooner women in their first meeting of the 2009-10 season. Both teams are looking to rebound from huge losses in their last game – OSU falling at undefeated Nebraska and OU at home to Texas.
The starting lineups are as follows: for the visiting Sooners - guards Danielle Robinson and Nyeshia Stevenson, forwards Carlee Roethlisberger and Amanda Thompson and center Abi Olajuwon. And don’t be surprised if you recognize some of those famous last names – yes, you read them right. For Oklahoma State, Budke is starting guards Andrea Riley and Lakyn Garrison, forwards Tegan Cunningham and Precious Robinson and Megan Byford at center.
The arena is full of rowdy fans at the tip at most certainly the largest crowd of this season to witness Cowgirl basketball in Stillwater. Head coach Kurt Budke matches the crowd with his bright orange blazer blending in with the ladies’ warmups. The crowd is energized early with a quick bucket by Andrea Riley, followed by an OU turnover and a trip to the line for Precious Robinson – all within the first 30 seconds of the contest.
When the first timeout is called just over four minutes into the game, Oklahoma State owns a slim advantage at 9-6. Both teams started with turnovers, missed shots and smattering of poorly selected shots and turnovers by both squads. But it appears that both teams have settled down a bit – just a bit – as they look to get into a solid game rhythm. One piece of Gallagher-Iba Arena that has not settled down – this crazy crowd.
With 11:52 remaining in the half and at the second timeout of the game, the Cowgirls are still hanging on to the early point advantage with a 17-10 margin. Coming out of the break, the Sooners have gone on an 8-3 run to cut the lead to just two and Sherri Coale’s team shows it’s no slouch. A somewhat rare turnover after failing to inbounds the ball by OSU, gives OU the opportunity to tie – and they do just that.
OU has the one-point 22-21 advantage with 7:47 to go and it is becoming obvious that this game is going to be a hotly contested bedlam adventure, which I am sure is no surprise to Cowboys and Sooners alike. Fouls are becoming to be a bountiful occurrence for OU, both offensively and defensively as they have 10 team fouls with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. Now two minutes later with the score tied at 24s, Danielle Robinson, Carlee Roethlisberger and Joanna McFarland are all on the court with two fouls each.
The first to the race to double-digits is won by the OU junior Danielle Robinson and close behind is her teammate Nyeshia Stevenson with eight thus far. To keep the close game thread going strong, with 3:52 left we’re at 29-all as the teams regroup for a timeout before free throw attempts by OU’s Robinson.
Back-to-back baskets by Andrea Riley give OSU the two-point lead at 33-31, but the Sooners have the ball and are looking for the tie. Instead, they commit a turnover and Sherri Coale does not seem too pleased by the outcome of the possession. After some sloppy (ish) play to end the final two minutes of the half by both the Sooners and Cowgirls, the 33-31 OSU lead is where we stand going into the break.
Stats of note at halftime include just two players in double figures – OU’s Danielle Robinson (12) and OSU’s Andrea Riley (10). Both teams have their fare share of turnovers – OSU ‘leading’ the way 7-6. Rebounds are pretty equal as well as OU holds the slip 24-22 advantage in this category. Shooting percentages are low by both the Cowboys (at 30%) and Sooners (at 32.4%), with the biggest shooting disparity coming from beyond the arc. OU is just 2-of-12 (16.7%) and OSU is 3-of-9 (33.3%).
The second half starts slowly – actually not at all – after the game clock doesn’t start. After a couple of minutes to fix the time adjustment, play is underway with both teams back with their original starting lineups and sloppy play. Turnovers and missed shots continue to abound in the early stages of the half.
OU got it together enough to grab the lead, but this one is going to stay close for the duration it seems. A back and forth game is in the making as Andrea Riley starts to pick up her pace and grab the 41-39 lead. After a traveling turnover by the Sooners, we come to the first timeout of the second half.
With 12:52 to go in the game senior Tegan Cunningham finally reaches double figures for the Cowgirls. Both OSU’s Riley and OU’s Robinson are the game leaders with 16 a piece and the second timeout of the half sees a one-point advantage for the Sooners on the scoreboard, at 45-44.
Three timeouts in less that a minute as it appears that Oklahoma currently has the advantage of momentum with a 47-44 lead. But, whatever Budke called in the huddle works as Riley cuts the OU lead to one in a fast possession and then a Sooner walk give OSU the ball back with 10:55 to play. Instead of taking advantage of the situation, O State turns the ball over and Amanda Thompson gets the quick inside bucket for OU.
OU continues to have the upper hand in the second half and have widened the gap to five before Andrea Riley swishes a trey and cuts it to two with just under seven minutes to play. The Sooner ‘answer’ is a miss and Riley comes back with a jumper to tie it up. It’s almost like the senior leadership for the Pokes is willing them into this game. Every time the Cowgirls see a deficit, either Riley or Cunningham make a play. But will it be enough against OU and Robinson’s now 24 points?
With 3;20 remaining, the lead is two for the Sooners and the chase for the game’s leading scorer is going to be a hot one. After two free throws after the timeout, and a quick Robinson basket, she leads the Sooners with 28. OSU’s Riley is nipping at her heels with 27 in the game and the OU lead has begun to widen down the stretch. It’s a six point advantage with 2:13 to play.
The OU crowd is getting ready to celebrate as they extend the lead to 10 with under a minute to play. Danielle Robinson has been a scoring force and center Abi Olajuwon’s 6’4″ presence has disrupted the Cowgirls game on both offense and defense.
The final from Stillwater looks like a game that was not a close one, but that’s not the case. Bedlam continues to be a game that can go either way on any given day in every sport played between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Today the advantage went to the visiting Sooners, who pull away with a 77-66 win.
