Five days of fab fun-basketball, baseball, wrestling and more!
I thought this week was actually going to be a ‘light’ one, with just a smidge of sports mixed in. Boy was I wrong and a half – a fact I didn’t realize until it was over…
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. -
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State women’s basketball
Oklahoma State all-time leading scorer, Andrea Riley
- Senior day was highlighted by tears of gratitude and appreciation by all four ladies – Andrea Riley, Tegan Cunningham, Ally Clardy and Megan Byford. For their coaches, their teammates, the Cowgirl basketball fans and their family support.
- Riley was honored not only for being a senior, but also for leaving the school as the all-time leading scorer. She passed Bryant Reeves and Byron Houston and is now on the hunt to catch OU alumnae Courtney Paris as the Big 12 leading scorer. Riley is now just 62 points away from Paris’ record heading into the final regular season game, a Bedlam battle on Sunday.
- The game was one that was tied up at 57-57 with nine minutes to go in the game. But the OSU defensive effort was too much for the Cyclones (without their leading scorer – Alison Lacey) to overcome. The Cowgirls regained the lead and went on to take the 78-70 win.
- For notes and quotes from the four seniors, please click here to read or listen. For complete game statistics, click here.
Thursday, 8:00 p.m. -
small college basketball at the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament, a double-header
- A scene from the late night game – OCU didn’t have enough fans – or baskets – to pull off a win
- The tournament schedule was such that there was under two hours allotted for each first-round game, setting the expectations of running behind schedule. The second game I attended between Oklahoma City University and Rogers State didn’t end until close to midnight. Yawn.
- It was interesting to see the student crowds and fan support, or lack thereof. Southern Nazarene was the host and played in the 8:00 game, having a group of 50 or so students cheering on the Crimson Storm to victory. OCU meanwhile, just a 10 minute drive from SNU, could only boast a handful of fans in their disappointing loss to Rogers State.
- The women’s bracket went primarily according to seedings, with #1 meeting #2 for the championship game. The 2nd-seeded team from OCU took the title with a 62-55 win over Oklahoma Baptist. The men’s side was topsy-turvy from the start and saw the #5 and #6 teams battle it out in the last tournament game. John Brown came away the victors after a 73-58 win over Rogers State. For full conference and tournament coverage, click here.
Friday, 3:03 p.m. -
Sooner Classic baseball, Oklahoma vs. Western Illinois
- Sooner pictcher Zach Neal recorded his first win – 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 W, 8 SO
- Warmer weather has appeared in Oklahoma and with good temperatures comes “America’s favorite past time” - baseball. The University of Oklahoma hosted Stephen F. Austin, Western Illinois University and the University of South Florida for a weekend of action on the diamond.
- OU fans are already itching for baseball as the Crimson and Cream were out in force, complete with the requisite hecklers. You could tell the opponents were miffed at the young men in the stands who counted off steps of their batters as they walked to the dugout after an out. They even chimed in on the left-right-left-right on occasion, all while rolling their eyes in the dugout. The heckling must have been insult to injury to Western Illinois, who fell 12-1 to OU.
Friday, 7:00 p.m. -
NAIA wrestling national championships
- All-American OCU wrestler Nik Turner took 5th place
- Oklahoma City University hosted the NAIA wrestling championships and had six mats of action going at a time. The action was swift and the wrestling fans were rabid. This is one sport above all that the spectators know the rules, scoring and moves of all the athletes.
- The match winners and losers left every ounce of themselves on the mat, and seeing crying men in the hallways or others jumping up and down with their coaches and family was the norm on the night. One such young man was seen outside throwing his headgear as a coach followed behind to console and comfort.
- The tournament ended with Notre Dame (Ohio) taking the team title and OCU finishing tied for 13th. Individually, OCU’s highest finisher was Nik Turner with a 5th place finish at 157 lb. and heavyweight Corey Johnson with a 7th place showing as both became two-time All-American selections. For full coverage of the tournament, please click here.
Saturday, all day -
Big 12 Wrestling Championships
- Big 12 Champions – Oklahoma State University
- Oklahoma State took the team title at the Big 12 Championships, led by three individual champions – Jordan Oliver (133), Jamal Parks (141) and Clayton Foster (184). OSU got the title by a 1.5 point margin over second-place Iowa State. Host Oklahoma came in third after getting three individual champions of their own.
- This marks the Cowboys 9th team championship and head coach John Smith’s 11th title (two Big 8 crowns – 1994 and 1996). Previous to Saturday, the last team title was in 2006. This is an impressive turnaround for a young squad after last season’s 4th place conference finish and 16th place national finish.
- For more on the Big 12 tournament action and results, please click here.
Sunday, 10:01 a.m. -
Sooner Classic baseball doubleheader, WIU vs. USF and OU vs. SFA
Sooner Classic baseball doubleheader, WIU vs. USF and OU vs. SFA
- USF’s offensive firepower came from Ryan Lockwood (3-4, 3 RBI, 2 W) and Chad Taylor (2-4, 4 R, 1 HR)
- The South Florida Bulls notched their first win of the weekend and just their second on the season, routing Western Illinois 16-2. This is the most runs scored by USF thus far in their young season.
- The finicky Oklahoma weather held off from pouring down rain from the sky to allow both games to go on as scheduled. Well, not necessarily as scheduled. Both were moved up an hour from their original scheduled time to accommodate travel arrangements by the visiting teams.
- The most comical think I’ve seen at a ballpark in quite some time was the singing of the state song, “Oklahoma”, by the Sooner players and coaching staff as a mid-inning break in the action. The video-taped montage showed each player singing a phrase of the song and many including actions. Though the tune wasn’t necessarily distinguishable at all times, the bouncing schooner above the words was there for assistance like in a Disney Sing-Along Song. A much-needed entertainment feature that I’m sure will become a crowd favorite throughout the season.
Sunday, 4:00 p.m. -
women’s bedlam basketball, Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma
- In what was probably the most forgettable event of the weekend, Oklahoma dominated on their senior day and the last regular season game for both squads. Dominated is actually an understatement in the 97-62 rout.
- The Sooners shot a lights-out 57 percent from the field and 59 percent from 3-point range (16-of-27). It seemed as if everything the OU women threw up, found their mark and the opposite was true for the Cowgirls. Senior Amanda Thompson had a career- and game-high 29 points and 11 rebounds in her last action at Lloyd Noble – or at least in the regular season.
- Norman is hosting a 1st and 2nd round regional, so it will remain to be seen where the NCAA seeds each Big 12 women’s program.
Sunday, 7:47 p.m. -
- Whew. Home after a whirlwind. I think I need a vacation. Oh wait! It’s almost time to Thunder Up against the Sacramento Kings. The adventure’s still not over…
