The OU women's basketball team survived a physical matchup with Missouri to take a tough bounce-back victory by beating the Tigers, 64-60.

The Sooners led by as many as 12, but the lead was down to one in the last 30 seconds.

A broken play in the last 10 seconds left Mizzou frantic but with a chance at a desperation 3-pointer, which junior center Liz Smith took to no avail because Sooner freshman Kaylon Williams blocked the attempt with six seconds remaining.

OU's win evened the overall series, 29-29. With Mizzou leaving for the SEC next year, there are no current plans for the teams to meet again.

Junior guard Whitney Hand led the way for the Sooners for the second game in a row and the fifth time this season. Hand scored 17 points, pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists. Sophomore guard Morgan Hook chipped in as well, scoring 12 points of her own and equaling Hand's assist total.

Hand scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half. She said she saw the need for her to take over and asked for the ball.

“[The Tigers] were obviously scoring, and we weren't really having answers. This whole year, I've been trying to train myself to want these shots, and that was kind of my mentality at the end of the game,” Hand said.

The Tigers were led by senior forwards BreAnna Brock and Christine Flores, who scored 20 and 14 points, respectively, and pulled down a combined 17 rebounds.

OU needed a big defensive effort to hold Flores to just 14, though. The senior is the third-leading scorer in the Big 12, averaging 17.3 a game. OU's defense got a break as Flores got into foul trouble early and had reduced minutes.

Flores fouled out with 2:30 left in the game and limited Mizzou's offensive options — options they could have used in the tough final seconds.

The Sooners shot just 21-of-55 from the field (38.2 percent). Missed shots hurt the team on more than just the scoreboard, OU coach Sherri Coale said.

“We got great shots, and we missed them, and it sucked the life out of us,” Coale said.

Mizzou has now fallen to 0-12 in conference play. However, Coale was impressed by the energy and tenacity the Tigers showed.

“That's why Missouri's performance is so notable because they haven't won a conference game yet,” Coale said. “And they're playing every possession like it's the one that sends them to the Final Four.”