Kaylee Jensen ready for another power struggle in Bedlam
NORMAN — After their last meeting, Oklahoma’s Vionise Pierre-Louis described her frontcourt duel with Oklahoma State’s Kaylee Jensen as a familiar feeling.
“Battling constantly with a post, the same size, same skill set, very dominant,” Pierre-Louis said.
Sort of like playing against herself.
“For 40 minutes,” she said with a chuckle that told you just how physical it gets in the paint when Pierre-Louis and Jensen square off.
Their second meeting of the season is set for noon Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center. Jensen and the Cowgirls came out on top the first time around, winning 96-82 just two Sundays ago in Stillwater.
That day, the 6-foot-4 Jensen had 27 points and 11 rebounds, with PierreLouis, the Sooners’ powerful 6-4 center, guarding her most of the game.
“It always gets pretty brutal down there,” Jensen said. “Both teams really want to win, and we have very aggressive post players, both teams.”
This matchup will be quite a change from Wednesday’s game against West Virginia, which uses long, lanky frontcourt players who prefer running the floor over battling on the block.
But lately, it hasn’t seemed to matter who Jensen is facing. In Big 12 play, she’s leading the conference in scoring with 22.2 points and rebounding with 12.2 boards per game. She has scored at least 17 points in all six of the Cowgirls’ Big 12 games, and has double-doubles in five of them.
Paired with Loryn Goodwin, OSU’s fifthyear graduate transfer — who leads the Big 12 in scoring for the season (21.9 ppg) and ranks only behind Jensen in conference play (21.3) — Jensen had to figure out how to play with such a talented point guard.
Both her scoring and her rebounding were off the pace she was accustomed to last year when she led the Big 12 in both.
“Last year, I think it was pounded inside way more than this year, because we have guards who can step out and shoot it,” Goodwin said. “I think Kaylee has really learned how to be the best in her role and whatever we need her to do.
“She’s getting double-doubles every game and she’s figured out her niche in the offense, and that’s really going to help us for the rest of Big 12 play.”
When Jensen is playing well, she creates offense beyond her own baskets. She gets to the free throw line as regularly as just about anyone in the Big 12, and she opens up spots for the guards to attack.
“I can drive and they won’t come off Kaylee, because they know we’ll dump it and it’ll be an easy score,” Goodwin said. “We’re able to get some open looks and open layups because of her presence inside.”