WACO, Texas - As the seconds ticked off, an usher at the Ferrell Center summed up the feelings of Baylor nation.

"Two nights in a row."

Twenty four hours after the Baylor men's team was unable to end its losing streak to Texas, another invader from the Big 12 South Division made it another miserable night in Central Texas.

In the highest-ranked regular-season game in conference women's history, No. 2 Oklahoma made a late push to knock off third-ranked Baylor, 56-51, before 8,220.

Two of those in attendance made the game particularly special. Former President George Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush had seats behind the Baylor bench. The ex-Commander in Chief met with both teams before the game, the first outing for the couple since leaving the White House.

"I told them that every moment in life is precious and this is a big moment for them," Bush said according to a pool reporter.

Oklahoma improved to 17-2 and 6-0 in the Big 12 standings. Baylor had its 11-game winning streak snapped and is 17-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The road victory gives OU a slight edge in the regular-season race.

"This game's not gonna win the Big 12 for Oklahoma and it's not gonna lose it for us," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said.

Baylor trailed 53-51 going into the final minute. That the Lady Bears were that close is amazing considered they made 16-of-59 shots. That's 27.1 percent ... or approximately Mr. Bush's approval rating before he left office.

"To even be in the game at the end is pretty remarkable," Mulkey said. "You're not gonna beat anybody when you shoot like that."

At halftime, the teams had combined to make 19-of-63 shots. There was a chill in the building, apparently caused by an open loading dock door so that the Secret Service's SUVs could make a quick getaway if needed.

The Sooners, shooting at the basket farthest way from the cold, made 13-of-21 shots (61.9 percent) in the second half. Courtney Paris (15 points, 14 rebounds) and Ashley Paris (12 and 11) were again pillars of strength. Point guard Danielle Robinson had 13 points and five assists to offset eight turnovers.

"Danielle Robinson was the difference in the game," Mulkey said. "Their point guard ran the show for them. She made plays like them down the stretch."

Robinson's skip pass found OU freshman Whitney Hand in the left corner and she made OU's only 3-pointer of the game to give the Sooners a 51-48 lead with 1:22 remaining.

Baylor's Jessica Morrow answered with a 3-pointer off the dribble to tie it with 59 seconds to play but then Robinson found Courtney Paris in the low post with 34 seconds remaining. She scored to give OU the lead for good. Robinson then hit both ends of a one-and-one with 14.3 remaining to push OU's lead to 55-51.

"I feel very fortunite to come here and win," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. "There aren't a lot of teams that are gonna be able to come her and win. I think we showed poise and resiliency and it's a reflection of a team with a lot of hunger and experience."

Baylor twice led by six points in the first four minutes of the second. Oklahoma's biggest lead came at the end.

"We missed a grand opportunity to make it a special night," Mulkey said.