Bulldogs' Defense Causes 21 Oklahoma Turnovers

NORMAN, Okla. – With 7:46 remaining in regulation, the Yale women's basketball team had cut a once 17-point Oklahoma lead down to just two, putting its perennial powerhouse opponent on-the-ropes in the Lloyd Noble Center.

After an 11-2 run over a four-minute span narrowed the margin to 52-50, however, the Bulldogs managed only four more points in the final seven minutes, allowing Oklahoma to pull away and escape with a 71-54 win over an inspired Eli squad on Tuesday night.

In the final game of the 2014 calendar year, Yale (4-8, 0-0 Ivy) controlled most of the second half, leaving the Sooners (6-5) looking for answers in a game that early-on appeared to be well in-hand for the home team.

Poor free throw shooting by the Bulldogs, as well as dominant post play by the Sooners' frontcourt, eventually caught up with the visitors. Yale shot 11-of-25 (44-percent) from the free throw line and was outscored in the paint, 52-28.

Facing a 12-point deficit at intermission, the Bulldogs used fast-moving, pressure defense to disorient the Sooner offense, which had shot a lights-out 55.9-percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. As a team, Yale had six steals and caused 15 turnovers in the second half alone, holding Oklahoma to 37.9-percent shooting.

However, just as the Bulldogs had all the momentum and faced only a two-point deficit, Yale did not make a field goal in the remaining seven minutes, going 0-of-10 from the field. The Sooners would take advantage, finishing the game on a 19-4 run to hold-off the upset-minded Bulldogs.

The Sooners started the game red-hot from the field, making 11 of their first 20 shots and taking a 26-14 lead at the 7:43 mark in the first half. The lead would swell to 17 only two minutes later.

The Bulldogs would string together their own 13-8 stretch though, ending the half down 42-30. Sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored seven points in the final five minutes, while freshman guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.) scored four of her own.

The biggest problem Yale encountered in the first half was Oklahoma's Kaylon Williams, who dominated the low-block and scored 14 points, with most of the baskets being layups.

Whereas the Sooners started the game with a fast start, the Bulldogs came out firing in the second half, showing relentless defensive pressure and making the Oklahoma offense stagnant and disorganized.

Sophomore guard Lena Munzer (Highland Park, Ill.), who finished the game with nine points (3-of-4), five rebounds, and two steals, proved to be Yale's best on-the-ball defender in the second half, locking down anyone she guarded.   

In the first four minutes of the second half, Oklahoma turned the ball over seven times, only mustering three field goal attempts due to the stout Yale defense. Two steals for senior guard Sarah Halejian (Wyckoff, N.J.), as well as one apiece for Munzer and freshman guard Mary Ann Santucci (Seattle, Wash.), sparked the Yale attack.

Though the defense proved to be effective and the Sooners struggled to score, the Bulldogs had trouble trimming the lead due to their own offensive struggles. In the first eight-and-a-half minutes, Yale was just 4-of-13 from the field and trailed, 50-39.

It wasn't until that point that the Bulldogs finally struck; and struck hard. From the 11:32 to 7:37 marks in the second half, Yale went on its 11-2 run, stunning the Sooners and the 4,990 fans in attendance.

Five points for Munzer and four points for Halejian led the Bulldog offensive charge, which was due in large part to easy transition baskets from forced turnovers. Oklahoma turned the ball over three times and shot 1-of-6 in those four minutes, while Yale players ran, defended, and dove all over the court.

With the Sooners on upset alert, they responded coming off the media timeout with sophomore guard Gioya Carter scoring two of her 17 points, followed by two jumpers by redshirt sophomore guard Peyton Little, which pushed the lead back to eight.

The Bulldogs continued their shooting struggles for the rest of the game, including going 4-of-10 from the foul line in crucial moments down the stretch. Poor shooting at the line plus shooting 26.7-percent (8-of-30) from the field in the second half allowed the Sooners to win by a bigger margin than the game warranted.

Both teams shot poorly from long range (Yale – 3-of-14, Oklahoma – 2-of-14), but the Sooners shot 90-percent (9-of-10) from the charity stripe, making the most of their limited trips.

For the game, Oklahoma shot 47.6-percent from the field, while Yale shot just 32.3-percent.

Halejian led the Bulldogs with 15 points, adding six assists and four rebounds to her stat line. Werner scored 11 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds for Yale. In her first start of the season, junior center Emmy Allen (Overland Park, Kan.) grabbed six rebounds and recorded three blocks.

Williams scored a game-high 20 points for Oklahoma on an impressive 10-of-12 shooting, while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Little scored 18 on 6-of-8 shooting.

After a month-long absence, Yale returns home for its next game on January 7 against Maine at 7 p.m. in the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity