STRUGGLES
Statistics thru Dec 4, 2018
.. Leads the Big 12 in free-throw attempts (173)
.. Last in free-throw makes, shooting 54.3%
.. Committing a league-high 22.9 turnovers per game
.. 7 freshmen & 2 sophomores have committed 142 of OU's 160 giveaways
.. Opponents averaging nearly 10 3-pointers (defensive last in the Big 12)
.. Opponents shooting 42% from the field (defensive last in the Big 12)
.. Nov 15 was last home game
.. 5 straight losses: USouth Florida, UAB, Clemson, New Mexico & Auburn
.. 1998 was last time 5 straight games lost
.. 1998 was Sherri Coale's 2nd season as OU head coach
.. SO Ana Llanusa cleared to begin shooting this week following recent foot surgery
.. Coale hopes Llanusa can return by conference play
HC SHERRI COALE quotes
Coale thinks players are battling mental overload.
"We get a big score at New Mexico and we don't sprint back in defensive transition. They get an immediate layup. [Lapses] seem to come really critically. We're doing some good things. Auburn made 13 3s. That's the most they've ever made. Were a few of them open? Yeah. About 4-5 of them were hand-in-face."
"[The free-throw line] is really the only point in the game you get to stop for a second, so all that information is whirling around. They're going to get on top of that. Don't know when, but it'll happen. Once they get on top of that and are able to silence on that they'll make free throw."
"The turnovers are very much unforced errors, so it's either being tight or being in the previous play or the next play. You get overload."
Guard SHAINA PELLINGTON quotes
"We don't want anyone to think for a second that we take this lightly. It hurts us, you know. We all worked hard during the summer. I know it hurts me for sure, but it's having the mental toughness to know this is not going to be the end."
"We know it's going to end. It's just keeping in your mind this is not going to be our story the rest of the season, knowing this will end. Some of us struggle with that. We're very hard on ourselves. We don't take losses lightly."
OU projected starters for Central Arkansas on Dec 5
FR Taylor Robertson 5-7 G 19.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
FR Tatum Veitenheimer 5-8 G 6.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg
FR Madi Williams 6-0 G/ F 13.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg
SO Shaina Pellington 5-7 G 16.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg
SO Mandy Simpson 6-1 F 7.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg
- Edits from a Norman Transcript article by Tyler Palmateer, 4 Dec 2018
