Sooners top TCU on Skylar Vann score in final seconds, advance in Big 12 tournament

Skylar Vann’s bucket with just seconds remaining gave the Oklahoma Sooners a 77-76 win over TCU to advance in the Big 12 tournament.

[autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] has been clutch for the Oklahoma Sooners in recent games, such as the Sooners’ win over Kansas State last week. The Big 12 sixth player of the year came through again in crunch time for Oklahoma to beat the TCU Horned Frogs in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

Trailing by one after TCU’s Lucy Ibeh put the Horned Frogs ahead with a layup of her own, the Sooners had one last chance to move on. Inbounding with 4.8 seconds on the clock, [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] found Vann deep in the paint. With a crisp pass and a clean catch, Vann used her strong post game to score with the left hand to give the Sooners the 77-76 win.

Vann led the Sooners with 21 points off the bench in 19 minutes. She was 9 of 13 from the field and provided Oklahoma’s final six points in the game.

TCU started the game strong, looking to upset the Big 12 regular season champion. The Horned Frogs opened up a 10-point lead midway through the first quarter, but the Sooners closed the opening frame on a 15-8 run to trail by only three heading into the second.

The Sooners were fantastic in the second, taking control of the game, outscoring TCU 16-8. Oklahoma continued their strong play in the third, taking an 11-point lead with five minutes to go in the third.

TCU battled back in the fourth to put the pressure on the Sooners. Oklahoma led by three with just over a minute to play, but TCU’s Ibeh hit consecutive layups to give the Horned Frogs the lead, setting the stage for Skylar Vann’s heroics.

“You’ve got to be willing to take that shot,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said after the win. “You’ve got to be willing to make it. You’ve got to be willing to miss it. You’ve got to be willing to pay the consequences. Sky is. You can see that in her eyes that she wants that.”

And she’s wanted to be in those moments, and Vann has come through in those moments down the stretch. She’s proven to be a big-time player that can come through in big-time moments.

Taylor Robertson was 5 of 6 from three and scored 17 points, and Aubrey Joens scored 15 off the bench to help support an incredible effort from Vann. The Sooners now get set to face the Iowa State Cyclones, who topped the Baylor Bears. The game is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m. C.T.

Here’s a look at how social media reacted to the Sooners’ win.