Tag: 2022-2023 Oklahoma Women’s Basketball

Sooners season comes to an end in 82-73 loss to UCLA in Women’s NCAA tournament

The Sooners needed a big third quarter to get back in the game, but UCLA pulled away late in Oklahoma’s 82-73 loss in the Women’s NCAA tournament.

Oklahoma got out of the blocks slowly for the late-night tip and the UCLA Bruins took advantage. UCLA led by seven after the first quarter and by 13 at halftime.

Oklahoma used a strong third quarter, where they outscored the Bruins 26-12 to take a one-point lead into the fourth.

Though it was a tight ball game, the Sooners never regained the lead after the Bruins went up 55-54. Oklahoma answered every UCLA basket with one of their own to keep it a one-score ball game. But as the game wore on, UCLA began to pull away.

With 2:53 left in the game, the Sooners trailed by five and that’s as close as they’d get the rest of the contest. UCLA pulled away in the final minutes as the Sooners couldn’t keep up.

For the second straight season, the Sooners bow out of the Women’s NCAA tournament in the second round. In this one, the Bruins found a way to take Taylor Robertson out of the game.

In her final game as a Sooner, Robertson was held to 1 of 4 shooting and 0-for-3 from three. Madi Williams led the way for Oklahoma, scoring 24 points on 7 of 14 shooting. Williams was also 9 of 14 from the free throw line. Ana Llanusa added 15 and Skylar Vann chipped in 14 off the bench.

Oklahoma shot it well, hitting 41.4% from the field and shooting 41.2% from three. Even though UCLA didn’t shoot well from downtown, they were 44.8% from the field and made 25 of 28 free throw attempts.

Oklahoma enters the offseason looking to build on its second-straight tournament appearance and make it to the Sweet 16 and beyond.

Oklahoma Sooners advance in Women’s NCAA Tournament with 85-63 win over Portland

5 Sooners score in double figures as Oklahoma beats Portland to advance in Women’s NCAA Tournament.

It was a hard-fought contest for the first 20 minutes of game time as the Oklahoma Sooners took on Portland in the opening round of the Women’s NCAA tournament.

Portland, the WCC tournament champs, jumped out to a 5-2 lead early in the game, but the Sooners were able to tie it up on a [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] three-pointer.

That launched the Sooners on an 18-6 run to take a 20-11 lead with just under four minutes to play in the first quarter. Portland fought back over the final few minutes, going on a run of their own to close the quarter trailing by only six.

The Oklahoma Sooners were locked in a physical contest against a game Pilots team. Neither side could gain much of an advantage in the second quarter, but Portland did outscore the Sooners 13-12 in the quarter to trail by five heading into halftime.

The second half was all Sooners.

Though Portland cut the lead to three early in the second half, the Sooners went on a 13-4 run to lead 52-40 midway through the third quarter. Oklahoma kept the pressure up on both sides of the court to continue building on their lead. Heading into the fourth, Oklahoma led by 16, and that was all she wrote.

Five Oklahoma Sooners scored in double-figures, led by 14 a piece from [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] and [autotag]Aubrey Joens[/autotag]. [autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag] had 13, and [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag] and [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] each chipped in 11 points.

Robertson was 4-of-5 shooting on the evening and 3-of-3 from three-point range. Coming off the bench, Joens shot 4-of-9 and 2-of-5 from three to go along with two rebounds, three assists, and four steals.

Vann posted 11 rebounds for a double-double off the bench. [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag] had nine points and 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, to lead the Sooners on the glass.

The Sooners did a nice job defensively, limiting Portland to 37.7% shooting and just 15.8% from three. Oklahoma forced 18 turnovers, collected 11 steals, and 20 offensive rebounds.

Oklahoma now awaits the winner of the opening-round contest between UCLA and Sacramento State for a shot at the Sweet 16.

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Women’s NCAA Tournament: Sooners head west to face Portland at UCLA host site

Heading west, the No. 5 seeded Sooners will face Portland in the opening round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season. It’s the first time they’ve made back-to-back tournaments since the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Oklahoma was a four-seed a year ago, in Jennie Baranczyk’s first at Oklahoma. This season, they’re a five-seed, just missing an opportunity to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

In order to make the sweet 16 for the first time since 2013, Oklahoma will have to overcome a strong trio of teams out in Los Angeles.

Here’s a look at what Oklahoma will be up against in the opening round of the Women’s NCAA tournament.

Iowa State outshoots the Sooners in Big 12 tournament semifinal

The Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t keep up with an Iowa State team that shot 45% from the field and 40% from three in their 82-72 loss in the Big 12 tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners did about everything right in their Big 12 tournament semifinal matchup against Iowa State. The Sooners simply didn’t shoot as well as the Cyclones in their 82-72 loss.

Oklahoma and Iowa State shot the same amount of threes and free throws. The Cyclones made two more three-pointers and four more free throws, and that was the difference in the basketball game.

Oklahoma opened the game on a strong note, creating an eight-point lead in the first five minutes. Down 11-3, the Cyclones got hot from deep as Lexi Donarski, Denae Fritz, and Nyamer Diew each made triples to close the Sooners’ lead to 15-12 with just under three minutes to play in the first.

Oklahoma led at the end of the first 19-18, but Iowa State’s Ashley Joens started to find her shooting stroke. After going 2 of 7 from the field in the opening 10 minutes, Joens was 3 of 4 in the second.

Iowa State shot 10 of 13 in the second to take a 42-39 lead into halftime.

After half, the Cyclones stayed hot, going 11 of 15 and outscoring the Sooners 24-14 in the third quarter. Oklahoma was just 4 of 11 in the quarter

Though the Sooners made a valiant effort in the fourth to chip away at Iowa State’s lead, ultimately, the Cyclones’ shooting efforts were too much to overcome.

After dealing with an injury the last few days, [autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag] played 29 minutes and led the Sooners in scoring with 19 points on 9 of 16 from the field. [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] had another good game off the bench, going 5 of 6 from the field and scoring 13 points. [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag] had 14 points nearly matching her career high of 16 points.

Oklahoma now waits for the NCAA tournament selection committee to tell them where they’re headed for the opening two rounds of Women’s NCAA tournament.

Juniors Skylar Vann and Aubrey Joens give Sooners a boost off the bench

Juniors Skylar Vann and Aubrey Joens give the Sooners a boost off the bench in Oklahoma’s win over TCU in the Big 12 tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners will be losing three important pieces after the season is complete. [autotag]Madi Wiliams[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag], and [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag] have one more opportunity to take Oklahoma on a deep postseason run.

Those three have been key to the Sooners’ 2022-2023 season. But last night’s win over TCU put on display what life will look like without their three seniors.

[autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] came up clutch again, pouring in 21 points off the bench, including the game-winner in the final seconds. Also playing in a reserve role, [autotag]Aubrey Joens[/autotag], the Iowa State transfer, chipped in 15 points for the Sooners.

After the Sooners fell behind in the first quarter, Joens contributed 10 points in the second on 4 of 4 shooting, including 2 of 2 from three. That gave the Sooners the boost they needed to turn a three-point first quarter deficit into a five-point halftime lead.

The fourth quarter has become Skylar Vann time in recent weeks, and she came through again in the win over TCU. Vann was 5 of 6 from the field (her only miss a deep three), and was dominant in the paint. 10 of her 21 points came in the fourth, with all 10 points coming in the final 6:31 of the game. Vann scored each of Oklahoma’s final six points to get the win.

“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.”

Clutchness defined.

Vann and Joens combined for 36 points in the win. Oklahoma’s starting five scored just 32 points. They’re only juniors. Key pieces to the Sooners rotation this season, they’ll take on even bigger roles next year with talent leaving Norman.

The Sooners have a deep roster. Several players that can fill up the box score. They needed every bit of what Skylar Vann and Aubrey Joens provided off the bench on Friday night. For the Sooners to win the Big 12 tournament and go deep in the NCAA tournament, Vann and Joens will have to continue to provide a spark off the bench.

And everytime they check into the game, the Sooners display they’ll be in great hands even as they lose their talented group of seniors.

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.

Sooners move up a spot in ESPN’s latest Women’s Basketball Power Rankings

After claiming a share of the Big 12 title, the Oklahoma Sooners moved up one spot in ESPN’s latest power rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners begin their postseason quest this week at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, MO.

After claiming a share of the Big 12 title, the Oklahoma Sooners moved up one spot in ESPN’s latest women’s basketball power rankings.

After losing to Texas on Feb. 25 and falling a game behind the Longhorns with two games to play, it looked like Oklahoma’s title hopes were dim. But after Texas fell to Baylor, the Sooners beat Kansas State in a nail-biter in overtime and topped rival Oklahoma State to finish tied atop the Big 12 with the Longhorns. It is Oklahoma’s first Big 12 title since 2009 and comes in coach Jennie Baranczyk’s second season with the Sooners. Oklahoma’s concern going into the Big 12 tournament is the health of leading scorer Madi Williams, who injured her knee at Oklahoma State. – M.A. Voepel, ESPN

[autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag]’ availability is still up in the air for the Big 12 tournament. Oklahoma will play its first game on Friday against either Kansas or TCU. For the Sooners, they’ll need all hands on deck if they’re going to make a run to a tournament championship.

Oklahoma is one of the best teams in the conference, but they’ve also been challenged at different points along the way. If they win their quarterfinal matchup, a game against either Baylor or Iowa State will prove a tough test ahead of what would likely be another matchup with Texas.

The Big 12 tournament begins play Thursday March 9 at 5 pm CT, with eight-seeded Texas Tech taking on the ninth seed, Kansas State.

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Oklahoma Sooners heading west in latest ESPN Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracketology

Despite winning a share of the Big 12 regular season title, the Sooners are just outside of a host seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology.

The Oklahoma Sooners left Stillwater with a Bedlam sweep and a share of the Big 12 championship with their 80-71 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the end-of-game drama that transpired, the Sooners can hold their heads high. They accomplished something that hadn’t happened in Norman in more than a decade. 2009 was the last time the Sooners won a Big 12 title.

That’s quite the feat.

And as they prepare for the Phillip’s 66 Big 12 championships in Kansas City, they’re on the verge of owning a host seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

According to the latest bracketology from ESPN, the Oklahoma Sooners would be a five seed if the tournament started today. A good showing in the Big 12 tournament, namely winning it, or beating Texas along the way, could prove enough to bump them to a four-seed.

Why does that matter?

As the four seed, the Sooners would host the first two rounds of the Women’s NCAA tournament. If this latest bracketology holds up, Oklahoma would head west to Los Angeles, joining a foursome hosted by UCLA, which also would include UNLV and Long Beach State.

That would basically be like home court for Oklahoma’s opponents.

Oklahoma’s opportunity to improve its resume and earn a higher seeding starts with the Big 12 tournament, which starts later this week. As the No. 2 seed in the tournament, they’ll wait on the winner of Kansas vs. TCU in the 7-10 matchup. Texas, the No. 1 seed, awaits the winner of the 8-9 matchup featuring Texas Tech and Kansas State.

The Sooners’ postseason will tip-off at 5 p.m. CT on Friday evening in Kansas City, Mo.

Big second half propels Oklahoma Sooners to Bedlam win, share of Big 12 championship

Oklahoma Sooners use a big second half to beat the Oklahoma State Cowgirls 80-71 and earn Big 12 regular season title.

For the first time since 2009, the Oklahoma Sooners are Big 12 regular season champions after their comeback win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Sooners went into halftime down six points after the Cowgirls outscored Oklahoma 25-15 in the second quarter.

Oklahoma State held a lead for much of the third quarter. However, the Sooners continued to plug away and broke through for their first lead in the half when [autotag]Beatrice Culliton[/autotag]’s layup put them up for good with just under three minutes to play.

The Sooners outscored their Bedlam rivals 24-10 to take a 10-point lead going into the fourth. And the Sooners never allowed Oklahoma State to get closer than five points through the fourth quarter.

With the win, the Oklahoma Sooners claim at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title. This is their first Big 12 title since 2009. Oklahoma is 24-5 and 14-4 in the Big 12.

In what could be her final Bedlam game, [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] led the way with 15 points and six assists on 4 of 11 shooting. [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] had 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Culliton dropped 11 points to go with six rebounds in a reserve role as well.

The Sooners now wait on the result of the outcome of the Texas Longhorns matchup with Kansas State. If Texas wins, they’ll be tied atop the Big 12 standings and will share the regular season title. However, Texas will take the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament as a result of their two wins during the season.

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Sooners clutch in crunch time, share first place with Texas Longhorns

After surviving an upset bid from Kansas State, the Oklahoma Sooners are back in a first-place tie with the Texas Longhorns with one game remaining.

In a game that seemed to be going one way after the first 10 minutes, in the second half, it went the other way.

Like another dominant offense on campus, Oklahoma led by as many as 22 and took a 16-point lead into halftime, and the Kansas State Wildcats seemed to take that personally.

The Wildcats defense held the Sooners’ No. 2 ranked offense in check in the third quarter. Gabby Gregory was on fire from three, hitting four shots from behind the arc in the first six minutes of the third to cut into the Sooners’ lead.

By the time the third quarter came to a close, Kansas State had outscored the Sooners 28-13 and were down just one heading into the fourth.

The rest of the game would be a tight, back-and-forth affair. Just when it looked like the Sooners were going to reassert their first-quarter dominance, the Kansas State defense would frustrate Oklahoma and help them get back into the game.

Down late, it looked like the upset was on the horizon for Oklahoma. However, some strong time-out usage by [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag], missed foul shots from Kansas State, and a clutch layup from [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] got Oklahoma to overtime, where they were able to take control of the ball game.

With the win and Texas‘ loss to Baylor on Monday, the Red River Rivals are back in a tie for first place in the Big 12. A win over Oklahoma State in Bedlam and a Texas loss would give the Sooners their first Big 12 regular season title since 2009. Texas will take on this same Kansas State team on Saturday to close the regular season.