No. 9 Oklahoma women’s basketball narrowly defeated NC State 103-98 in overtime on Wednesday, overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez led the Sooners with a season-high 33 points, building on her impressive 29-point performance against Florida State.
Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk praised Chavez’s performance as a defining moment early in her college career. “What’s really neat in that kind of game, I’m learning how to coach her,” Baranczyk said, as reported by Davis Cordova of The Norman Transcript. “I think as the game went on, I got harder on her and harder on her and harder on her. Which is probably opposite than what I was thinking I would do with her. But she responds. She stays focused. She keeps her team going. Her focus is exactly where it needs to be.”
The Sooners (8-1) have now won seven straight games and have scored over 100 points in four consecutive contests. Sahara Williams and Raegan Beers each added 21 points, playing key roles in Oklahoma’s rally after trailing 45-38 at halftime.
Chavez scored 13 points before the break on 5-for-13 shooting, including 1-for-7 from three-point range, but came alive in the second half with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting. NC State (5-4) remained competitive throughout, led by Zoe Brooks, who scored 25 points. Khamil Pierre posted a double-double with 19 points and 20 rebounds, while Tilda Trygger added 18 points and 12 boards. The Wolfpack outrebounded Oklahoma 57-48.
NC State held a 10-point lead in the third quarter before Chavez sparked Oklahoma’s comeback with eight points during the period. The Sooners reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter on two free throws by Williams, but NC State managed to force overtime.
Reflecting on her early college season, Chavez said the game is beginning to slow down for her, thanks in large part to her teammates. “I definitely think the game is slowing down, but it’s really my teammates,” she said.
Oklahoma will host Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sunday, while NC State is set to face Seton Hall the same day.
Reporting by Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press contributed to this article.
https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/oklahoma-womens-basketball-news-coach-truth-bomb-aaliyah-chavez-elite-performance-nc-state