The Lloyd Noble Center was a sea of red as spectators got ready to witness the Oklahoma women’s basketball team play their fierce rivals, the Texas Longhorns.
When the Sooners made their debut in the SEC, 8,039 supporters packed the LNC to cheer them on. After the 16,058 spectators who saw Oklahoma’s 72-62 victory over No. 24 Michigan on December 17, this is the second-largest home crowd attendance of the season.
According to head coach Jennie Baranczyk, “the crowd was amazing.” “I was quite pleased when folks showed up. They were with us, I thought. All I want is for us to have performed better and brought it home to them.
On Thursday, the fervor of Oklahoma’s supporters was clear. The audience stood up and cheered for the Sooners during a 12-minute play review. The audience loudly expressed their dissatisfaction with the review outcomes after a call did not proceed as OU had hoped.
Oklahoma’s 16-game home winning streak, which began against the University of Central Florida on December 30, 2023, came to an end with their defeat against Texas.
“The way we ended the game really disappointed me,” Baranczyk remarked. “Obviously, I adore how we got started. Even in the second quarter, I thought we had nice looks, but sometimes they don’t go in—and occasionally they won’t go in—but it’s still a process. I don’t like how we concluded the game.
Oklahoma paid tribute to former guard Danielle Robinson during a halftime break. Robinson lead the squad to consecutive Final Four berths in 2009 and 2010 while playing for former head coach Sherri Cole from 2007 to 2011.
Robinson joined the San Antonio Stars after entering the 2011 WNBA Draft. She announced her retirement from the game on Wednesday, capping up her professional career with the Atlanta Dream. Robinson was named the new Manager of Basketball Integration and Scout Support by the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.
You adore her, Baranczyk remarked. The doors are never closed. As much as she can, we would like her to attend. She is really encouraging about everything. This program is unique.
Robinson is still regarded as one of the program’s greatest ever. She is ranked fourth in games played, second in assists, and seventh in points.
The Sooners will then play No. 15 Tennessee (12-0) at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville on ESPN in another top 25 game.
