Oklahoma sophomore Skylar Vann earned Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors after leading the Sooners to a pair of victories over No. 14 Baylor and TCU.
Vann averaged 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in Oklahoma’s wins. The Edmond, Okla., native scored a team-high 22 points off the bench against Baylor to help propel OU to an 83-77 win over the Bears.
𝐒𝐤𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐧, @OU_WBBall #Big12WBB Player of the Week
🏀 Vann had two 20-point games off the bench, helping the Sooners to a 2-0 week and a jump from No. 23 to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll.
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— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 17, 2022
Vann connected on 8-of-13 field goal attempts versus Baylor, including 3-of-7 on 3-pointers. The 5-foot-11 guard also had seven rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists against the Bears. The win over No. 14 Baylor was the Sooners’ first win over the Bears since 2015 and the program’s first win over a top-15 opponent since 2017.
Vann followed up that breakout performance by notching 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting against TCU. She knocked down 2-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc and grabbed six more rebounds.
The Sooners topped TCU 100-71 on Saturday. It was the second-most points Oklahoma has ever scored in a Big 12 game. OU registered a 102-point outing against Colorado in 2001.
During the two wins, Vann shot 53.6 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent on three-point tries. She was also a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line in the two games against Baylor and TCU.
Vann said she didn’t have the feeling before the Baylor game that anything was different about herself and that she was set for a big game against the Bears.
“No, not really. I was just coming to play and just have fun with my sisters. I mean, today just turned out to be a good day, but I feel like it wasn’t really just me. It was everyone. If you look at the stats, everyone had something to contribute tonight and that’s what got us this one,” Vann said after the Baylor win.
Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk feels Vann’s best play is still to come.
“I don’t think this was Skylar’s best game by any means. I think she had great moments, but I think we get to see her every day in practice and we get to see her compete all the time and so I think she has moments in a lot of games, but I think her best basketball is still ahead of her,” Barnczyk said of Vann’s play after the Baylor game.
With the win over TCU, Oklahoma improved to 15-2 overall (4-1 Big 12). The Sooners are now ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll, which is the program’s highest ranking since being ranked No. 12 on Nov. 28, 2016. OU’s nine-spot jump in the AP Poll is the largest in school history.
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