Women's Basketball FINALLY Notches OU A 'W' In The 2011-12 Bedlam Series

In what can only be described as quite possibly the most overdue victory in the history of of sports, the Oklahoma women's basketball team's win against Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon was the first win for the Sooners in the 2011-12 Bedlam Series. The Pukes, as their affectionately known outside of Stoolwater city limits, are enjoying one of the best athletic years in their history against the rival Sooners but for at least one day things were restored to their rightful order.

The final margin of victory, nine points, doesn't quite tell the whole story of the game as the lead would switch hands for most of the games. OU was able to pull away late thanks to a near heroic effort of freshman guard Sharane Campbell. The former Star Spencer Bobcat was the team's leading scorer, racked up a double-double, and as she has been all year was the spark off the bench the team needed. Campbell scored a game high 20 points and pulled down a career high 12 rebounds.

It was a game for career highs evidently as the Sooners also got a career game from Jelena Cerina (16 points) and Whitney Hand (13 rebounds). Despite her 6'5" frame, Cerina has never been a source of scoring for the women's team so the unexpected outburst was certainly a pleasant surprise while the Sooners await the return of starting post Joanna McFarland (out with a broken jaw). Hand was unusually quiet on the offensive end only scoring five points on 2-8 shooting, playing more of a facilitator role on both ends of the floor. The only other OU player in double figures was Aaryn Ellenberg who also scored 16, but continues to struggle to do so after making just 4-16 of her shots to get those 16 points.

At the end of the day, it was a much needed win for a Sooners team both from the rivalry stand point as well as the ladies' next game looming on the schedule. We talked about the Bedlam Series and OU's poor showing thus far, but the Sooners also face the #1 and undefeated Baylor Bears in Waco on Monday night. A team that beat OU in Norman by 31 points, so needless to say Monday will be a tall order.