Running out of gas
Oklahoma State’s Loryn Goodwin, Braxtin Miller and Kaylee Jensen are battling late-season fatigue as a result of averaging more than 31 minutes per game during Big 12 play.
NORMAN — Gabbi Ortiz has started 116 games in her career, and she doesn’t expect start No. 117, coming on Wednesday night against Iowa State, to feel any different from the other 116 games in her four years at Oklahoma.
While the game against Iowa State is designated as the Sooners’ Senior Night, the home finale will be played noon Saturday against Texas Tech.
Because the OU men’s basketball team is scheduled to host Kansas State on Saturday at 5 p.m., the women’s team had to move its Senior Night ceremony to Wednesday to allow enough time for the senior class to be honored after the game.
“It kind of gives it a different type of vibe because it’s less emotional because we do have another game,” Ortiz said.
But even with the unconventional setup of this year’s festivities, Wednesday night will still be a special game for the seniors — center Vionise Pierre-Louis, LaNesia Williams and Ortiz. Maddie Manning, wrapping up her sixth and final year of eligibility, will also be honored with the senior class.
“I feel like the actual game itself is less emotional in that sense, but the ceremony after will have the same vibe, the same goodbye,” Manning said. “it will be emotional in that part. The game itself, we know we have another opportunity to play on this court.”
With most of the emotion saved for Saturday’s home finale, Wednesday night’s game will be all business.
The Sooners (14-12, 9-6 Big 12) are tied with Oklahoma State for third in the conference entering the final three games of the season.
After being absent from NCAA Tournament projections for most of the season, the team is starting to sneak into the conversation with wins in four of its last five games.
ESPNW analyst Charlie Creme had the Sooners as a part of his first four out in his latest bracket projection.
It’s a dramatic turnaround for a team that lost to teams like Florida and Arkansas-Little Rock during nonconference play and couldn’t string two conference wins together until late January.
During preparation for Iowa State (12-14, 6-9), Ortiz saw just how far her team had come since facing the Cyclones on Dec. 31.
“We were watching old film from the Iowa State game and we were just laughing, like, ‘Wow, we’ve really gotten better,’” Ortiz said.
“The film was almost hard to watch and that was from early (in the) Big 12 season. That was cool to see, how much we’ve grown.
“We’re playing confident and when we’re playing, when we’re clicking on all cylinders for defense, I think that’s when we’re playing our best.”