In the final game in Fort Myers on Thanksgiving Day, 22nd-ranked Oklahoma University (5-1) lost to Princeton University (4-1) 77-63.
Senior guard Aubrey Jones scored 13 points off the bench in the Sooners’ first loss of the 2023-24 season. OU shot his season-low 35% from field goal range.
OU looked unprepared as the Tigers led 12-3 in the first quarter. Oklahoma attempted 20 shots and knocked down three. By the end of the second quarter, the Tigers led 38-29 at halftime. This is the first time in the 2023-24 season that Osaka University was at a disadvantage in the first half.
The second half went the same way, with the Tigers scoring and leading by as many as 21 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Princeton shot 48 percent from the field and was outrebounded 50-37. Turnovers once again proved to be a problem for Oklahoma, as Princeton scored 20 points off OU’s 16 turnovers.
“They totally kicked our tail in every way today,” Sooners coach Jenny Baranczyk said in a postgame radio interview. “I thought they were tougher than us… They defended us. In the first half, they did things that really got us going… We can’t learn at all today. I feel like we kind of learned the flow of the game in other games…and then we were able to make adjustments…Today we couldn’t make any adjustments at all, so that’s very disappointing for us.”
Offense is unbalanced
The University of Oklahoma entered the game against the Tigers despite having one of the nation’s top scoring offenses.
Entering the game, the Sooners were averaging about 90 points per game, but were 27 points below that average.
This was Osaka University’s worst offensive performance so far this year.
Only two players scored over 10 points. Joeens led the way with 13 points, followed by senior guard Navae Totto with 11 points. Oklahoma typically averages five players scoring in double figures.
“We didn’t have that courage today,” Totto said in the same radio interview. “I take full responsibility for that. I think they (Princeton) wanted more of it. We just have to learn.”
defensive struggle
OU has only allowed an average of 65 points per game so far this season. Princeton scored 77 points and made 33 of 69 field goals. This is the first time this year that the Sooners have scored over 70 points.
The Sooners are averaging five blocks per game, but only had three blocks for the entire game.
“We can’t afford to concede this many goals,” Badanczyk said. “You can’t put up 22 second chance points. Especially 46 in the paint. So that’s something we have to learn and adjust to.”
First loss to Ivy League
OU’s loss to Princeton was the first loss to an Ivy League team in program history. The Sooners are currently 1-1 against Ivy League Conference opponents.
The Sooners last faced off against Yale in the 201-15 season, when Shelley Cole’s Sooners defeated the Bulldogs 71-54.
Oklahoma will next face No. 19 Tennessee (3-1) at Fort Myers Tipoff on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on Women’s Sports Network.
“This could be a turning point for us,” Baranczyk said. “Otherwise, we’re going to struggle quite a bit. There are some things that need to be ironed out. As coaches, we obviously have to put them in a better situation and figure out how to bounce back. ”
This article was edited by Colton Sulley and Jason Batacao.