The Oklahoman

HOLDING PATTERN

- By Ryan Aber Staff writer raber@oklahoman.com

OU coach Sherri Coale will have to wait for career victory 500 as her Sooners fell 82-63 to TCU

NORMAN — Oklahoma women's basketball coach Sherri Coale will have to wait for No. 500.

Sitting on 499 career victories, Coale's Sooners didn' t give her a milestone victory at Lloyd Noble Center on Sunday, as Oklahoma fell 82- 63 to TCU.

The 82 points allowed were the most by the Sooners in Big 12 play while the 62 points scored were the fewest this season against anybody besides Baylor and UConn — two of the top four teams in the country.

The Horned Frogs did it by dominating the third quarter, outscoring the Sooners 26-16.

But Coale was more disappoint­ed with the offense in that quarter. Oklahoma was 6 of 14 from the field but missed all three 3-pointers and turned the ball over six times.

“We had several balls just kind of go in and come back out,” Coale said. “I felt like we kind of were discombobu­lated a little bit by that — not as much as we've been in the past. We're growing there. We got it back together and got some defensive stops that we needed.”

The Sooners did force five turnovers in the quarter, but TCU was 10 of 11 from the floor.

“I probably should' ve changed defenses earl i er than I did because they got in such a great rhythm ,” Coal es aid .“We went a couple of possession­s of zone and seemed to break their rhythm..”

Oklahoma' s leading scorer, Taylor Robertson, was just 3 of 12 from the floor — all on 3-pointers.

“I probably could' ve done a better job of trying to move without the ball to help myself to get open,” Robertson said. “But TCU did a really good job. They were switching their screens and always knew where I was.”

TCU shot 53.3% from the floor.

Oklahoma missed all 10 of its second-half 3-pointers.

“We did not have the kind of defensive commitment that we needed,” Coale said of the first half .“Then in the second half we couldn't make a basket.

“You've got to be able to score when you're trying to come back.”

Oklahoma fell to 10-7 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play.

“I really think this is one of the best OU teams they've had in awhile,” TCU coach Raegen Pebley said. “They're a team that's growing and maturing.”

Pebley said her team was aware of Coale's impending milestone.

“She's important to me. She's important to me and to women's basketball,” Pebley said. “I want 500 for her, but I didn't want it today.”

Ana Llanusa missed her third consecutiv­e game with back soreness.

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