Fields anchors OSU defense with high-intensity style
STILLWATER — Lauren Fields is a defense-first thinker.
A junior guard for the Oklahoma State women’s basketball team, Fields is at the heart of the Cowgirls’ defensive efforts, where they rank second in the Big 12 in points allowed.
This season, Fields also emerged as OSU’s top offensive option as well, averaging 16.1 points per game.
And she will be central in the Cowgirls’ hopes of upsetting 19th-ranked Oklahoma in the Bedlam rivalry, which is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
In the previous Bedlam meeting this season, an 84-58 OU win, Fields was just back from a two-game absence and wasn’t quite herself. She finished with 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting with a season-high six turnovers.
The 84 points scored by OU that night is the most by a Cowgirl opponent this season. Only one other team (Tennessee) has reached the 80-point mark and only three others have reached the 70-point mark.
“Defense is a big thing for this team,”
Fields said. “We struggle sometimes offensively, so defense is the way to get us transition buckets, because we succeed in transition. Our main emphasis is on our defense.”
The Cowgirls are allowing 59.5 points per game, while OU leads the Big 12 in offense, averaging 84.4 per game.
Against a Sooners squad that is dangerous on the perimeter, Fields’ pressure will be key. Her anticipation and knack for getting her hands on the ball as a defender is a major factor in the Cowgirls’ defensive success.
“She plays very solid defense in addition to being an offensive threat as well,” sophomore forward Taylen Collins said. “She guards some of the smaller players. Having somebody to step up and guard those hard players is really important.”
Fields is second in the Big 12 in steals at 2.2 per game, but she impacts the defense with more than just steals. Despite being 5-foot-9, she’s third on the team with 20 blocked shots, behind only frontcourt starters Kassidy De Lapp (26) and Collins (21). And Fields is third on the team in rebounds at 4.0 per game.
“It’s just my energy, not taking breaks on the defensive end when I get tired,” Fields said. “I want to make sure we can set up buckets in transition. I try to get in passing lanes, be active with my hands.”
Offensively, Fields has had at least nine points in every game this season and has reached the 20-point mark six times. But she’s the only Cowgirl averaging double-figures.
“Players like me and Taylen have to step up and find our rhythm, and maybe take some pressure off (Fields’) shoulders,” said sophomore guard Lexy Keys, who is second on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game. “I think that makes us more versatile and harder to guard.”
But on Wednesday night against OU, the Cowgirls’ upset bid comes down to defense — not just from Fields, but from everyone.
“Our identity is in our defense,” Keys said. “We pride ourselves on our defense. We feed off our steals, we feed off forcing turnovers. Our energy comes from our defense. Turning them over and slowing them down in transition is gonna be the biggest key.”