Georgia Amoore (Vicky Graff Photo)
The first time Kentucky played Oklahoma in early February point guard Georgia Amoore went off for a school-record 43 points and eight assists in the 95-86 win and Clara Strack had 19 points, six rebounds, five steals, two blocks and one assist.
Amoore, the Southeastern Conference Newcomers of the Year, and Strack, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, will get to test Oklahoma again this afternoon in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals after the Sooners eliminated Georgia 70-52 Thursday in Greenville, S.C.
Raegan Beers had 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting, eight rebounds and three blocks against Georgia. She remembers well what Amoore did at Oklahoma when she was 15 of 22 from the field.
“She’s a great player. Obviously we’ve seen a lot of great players, Georgia being one of them,” Beers said after Thursday’s win. “Lots of good guards, quick guards with quick releases who can not only hit shots but go inside and tackle off the bounce like Georgia can.
“They have a lot of great shooters we have to cover tomorrow. We’re going to work on that tonight and get ready for it.”
Oklahoma (24-6) has won eight straight games since losing to Kentucky but did not play any of the top four teams in the SEC during that win streak. Coach Jennie Baranczyk says “you can never shut her down” when asked about slowing down Amoore.
“We really fell on our faces in January. We were close in some, one we weren’t close at all. But you have to learn,” the Oklahoma coach said. “Every game right now that we’re playing is like an NCAA tournament game because we don’t know our opponent. This is the second time in conference play that we’ve played somebody twice. This is a different year. It’s a unique year for us to be here and to be able to do that.
“We’ve got to learn a little bit more. So you hope the next time that you play, you understand a little bit more. You can only do so much with film. You can only do so much with a scout. You have to learn to live. I don’t think that we did that. In the last few games, the last few weeks, I think we’ve done a much better job of that. We have to be ready tomorrow.”
The Sooners had 27 assists on 29 made baskets against Georgia. Beers said it shows how much more unselfish the team has become during its win streak.
“That’s what this team has really grown in, I feel like. You have noticed that we’re getting better at setting each other up and putting each other in good positions,” Beers said.
Baranczyk said the more balance Oklahoma has, the better it plays.
“It kind of actually surprised me with the 27 assists because I feel like our offense wasn’t necessarily clicking. I thought it was a really physical game. But I do think we started to make some reads and take what they were giving us,” the Oklahoma coach said.
“This is kind of a trademark of what it is that we do. Obviously, 27 is on the high end, but we share the ball. Normally we have a lot more balance. That’s just Oklahoma basketball.”
