Sooners stunned by East Texas A&M in Norman to open season

Sooner fans during the second round of the NCAA March Madness Women's college basketball game between University of Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa Hawkeyes at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Monday, March 24, 2025. Bo Aldridge scored 22 points to lead East Texas A&M to a stunning 68-64 win over Oklahoma in the season opener Monday in Norman, Okla. East Texas A&M led for much of the game but the Sooners came back to tie it with 4:55 left in regulation. Oklahoma then had a chance to take the lead with 3:44 remaining but B.J. Edwards, an SMU transfer, missed a pair of free throws. After a pair of offensive rebounds, Thomas Duchamp put the Lions back on top with a layup with 3:08 left. Oklahoma tied it again moments later but Aldridge quickly responded with a layup with 2:33 to play to kick off a 6-0 East Texas A&M burst. The Sooners closed it to within five with a free throw then got the ball back on a turnover, but the Lions locked down on Pop Isaacs in the corner, forcing a shot-clock violation. Oklahoma wasn't going away, though, as Tyler Hendricks got his hand on the inbounds pass off a timeout and the ball made it to Isaacs, who attacked the basket and finished through a foul for a three-point play to cut the deficit to two with 25 seconds remaining. Duchamp missed the front end of a one-and-one to give the Sooners another chance but Hendricks' 3-point shot missed the mark with 12 seconds to go and Derrion Reid missed the jumper off an offensive rebound. Aldridge was then fouled and made two free throws with three seconds to play to put the game away. East Texas A&M outscored Oklahoma 16-7 in second-chance points. The Lions led by 16 less than three minutes into the second half after hitting their first three 3-point shots after the break before the Sooners ripped off 13 consecutive points capped with a Hendricks dunk to pull within three with 13:51 left. Isaacs led Oklahoma with 15 points while Reid added 14. The Sooners were just 17 of 32 from the free-throw line. Oklahoma was without point guard Xzayvier Brown, its leading returning scorer, with an injury. Alonzo Dodd added 15 points for the Lions, hitting five 3-pointers before fouling out with less than seven minutes remaining. Mohamed Diakite also scored 15. --Field Level Media