No. 16 Sooners Hang on for Tight Win Over Trojans

NORMAN, Okla. – The Little Rock women's basketball team hung close with the No. 16 team in the nation all night long, but a 7-0 run by Oklahoma in the third quarter gave the Sooners enough distance to hold on for a 68-58 victory over the Trojans at the Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday night.
 
Little Rock (1-2) trailed by just one point at halftime at 34-33, and Oklahoma (2-0) only outscored the Trojans by 4 in the fourth quarter as Little Rock had to foul to stay in the game late. But the Sooners got their separation from the Trojans in the third quarter, outscoring Little Rock 20-15 in the period including that 7-0 run toward the end of the frame.
 
The Trojans were never able to close the gap in the fourth quarter as nearly every Little Rock basket was answered by the Sooners at the other end.
 
Sharde' Collins set a new career high with 23 points, and Kaitlyn Pratt also finished the night in double figures with 10. Freshman Kyra Collier scored the first 8 points of her career and led the Trojans with eight rebounds.
 
In the first half, Collins posted 15 points as the Trojans went into the break trailing just 34-33. The senior went 5 of 11 from the field. Collier also had 6 points in the final minute of the half on two 3-pointers – including – one that beat the buzzer to send the Trojans to the locker room down by one.
 
The contest as a whole was very even, as Oklahoma made just one field goal more than Little Rock and had only six more rebounds. The Trojans out-assisted the Sooners 9-8, and the teams each had 15 turnovers. Oklahoma's biggest advantage was a 14-6 edge in made free throws.
 
Little Rock stays on the road for the third straight game on Saturday, heading to New York City to take on the Fordham Rams as part of the Preseason WNIT. Little Rock and Fordham are set for an 11 a.m. eastern tipoff at Rose Hill Gym.