Tag: Liz Scott

Oklahoma Women’s basketball voted fifth in preseason Big 12 coaches poll

The Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball team was voted fifth in the Big 12 presason poll.

In two seasons in Norman, [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] has helped lead a talented Oklahoma Basketball program to a pair of NCAA tournament berths, advancing to the round of 32 in both seasons.

The Sooners were one of the best offenses in the nation, which helped them to a share of the Big 12 regular season title.

Their offense was led by [autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag], and [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag], and [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag]. Williams and Robertson have moved on and the Sooners are hoping Scott and Vann can take on the added leadership as they welcome one of the best players in the nation to the roster in [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag].

Big 12 basketball media day is two weeks away, and the coaches have voted on their 2023-2024 preseason poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners come in at No. 5. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own squad. The Texas Longhorns came in at No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll, picking up 12 of the 14 first-place votes. The Longhorns are followed by Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma rounds out the top five.

Taking the last four spots in the preseason poll are BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF.

The Sooners begin play with an exhibition on Oct. 31 against West Texas A&M and then play their first regular season game against the Wichita State Shockers on Nov. 6 at the Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners are hoping to build on their back-to-back round of 32 appearances in the NCAA tournament and build a team that’s able to break through to the Sweet 16 and beyond.

This is the Sooners’ final year in the Big 12 before joining the SEC, which boasts some of the best women’s basketball programs in the country. Tennessee, South Carolina, and LSU have been some of the best in the sport over the last two decades, providing fun and new challenges starting in 2024-2024.

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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Oklahoma Sooners survive Kansas State upset bid in overtime 90-86

Skylar Vann’s last-second layup forced overtime, and the Sooners never trailed in the extra period to stave off Kansas State’s upset bid.

After the first 10 minutes of play, it looked like the Oklahoma Sooners were going to run away with a blowout win over the Kansas State Wildcats. K-State had different plans, putting Oklahoma on the ropes in the second half.

It took a last-second lay-up from [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime. The Sooners took control and were able to hang on for the four-point win.

Oklahoma led 24-8 after the first quarter of play and led by as many as 22 in the first half. They were in complete control as the Wildcats struggled to find their shooting stroke in the game. Whatever happened at halftime lit a fire and Kansas State looked like a completely different basketball team.

They were phenomenal from three and forced the Sooners to turn the ball over an uncharacteristic amount. When it came down to the wire, however, the Sooners were clutch.

Oklahoma trailed by four after Jaelyn Glenn made a pair of free throws to put the Wildcats up 77-73. Madi Williams cut the lead to two and then two again with a free throw to make it 78-76. Serena Sundell, who had a career-high in for the Wildcats, missed both free throws to give Oklahoma a shot in the final seconds of regulation.

With just under five seconds left, [autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag] found Vann darting toward the basket for a perfect connection and a perfect finish at the rim to tie it up with one second remaining.

In the overtime period, [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] got the scoring going with her fifth three of the night. Oklahoma would lead the rest of the game to come up with a win that brings them back into a tie for first place with the Texas Longhorns.

Skylar Vann led the way with 23 points off the bench, including the game-tying bucket at the end of regulation and six in overtime. Madi Williams had 19 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on senior night for the Sooners.

Fellow seniors Taylor Robertson and [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag] also scored in double figures. Robertson was 5 of 11 from three for 15 points, and Scott had 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting. Williams, Robertson, and Scott came up big in what could be their final game at the Lloyd Noble Center. There’s a chance Oklahoma could host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, depending on how Saturday’s matchup in Bedlam and the Big 12 tournament go.

Regardless of what happens next, this was a clutch win for the Oklahoma Sooners that proved they’re ready for the challenges that await them in the postseason.

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Oklahoma Sooners can’t hang with Big 12’s best defense

Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns faced off in a battle to be the Big 12’s best. The two teams were tied atop the Big 12 standings and looking to take a significant step toward securing a Big 12 regular season title.

Oklahoma came into the game with the best offense in the Big 12 and the second-best scoring offense in the country. Texas boasted the Big 12’s best defense. And ultimately, it was Texas that had the better day.

“Texas played really, really well,” OU head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “They’re a very good basketball team, and we definitely weren’t (today). We will look in the mirror, me first, and be better.”

Texas’ defense created a frustrating environment for the Sooners and midway through the third quarter the Longhorns took control. Texas held Oklahoma to 27.3% shooting and just 22 points in the second half.

The Sooners will have to get back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong. There’s a good chance they’ll see Texas again and will need to have better answers for their defense.

“I feel like we just were not ready, especially offensively,” Baranczyk said. “We’re going to go one of two directions right now. … I think we’re going to go in the right direction. But we’ve got choices to make, and we’ve got to be able to choose to respond how we want to respond.”

Best photos from Oklahoma’s loss to Texas

Oklahoma Sooners offense stifled by Texas defense, lose 67-45

The Oklahoma Sooners shot just 27.3% from the field against the best defense in the Big 12 in their 67-45 loss to the Texas Longhorns.

It was a big-time basketball environment on Saturday afternoon as the top two teams in the Big 12 met with first place on the line. As it was in the previous matchup, the Texas Longhorns defense was too much for the No. 2 scoring offense in the country as the Sooners fell 67-45 in Norman.

It was a game that was closely contested and living up to the billing in the first half. Oklahoma and Texas traded leads through the first two quarters, but the Longhorns took a 27-23 lead into the break.

After halftime was a different story, though, as the Longhorns turned up the defensive pressure, and the Sooners had few answers. The Sooners were outscored 24-14 in the third quarter, and 16-8 in the fourth as the Horns slowed the game down.

Texas held the Sooners to an uncharacteristic 27.3% from the field and 14.3% from three. Oklahoma turned the ball over seven more times.

The Sooners finished with just one player in double-figures as Liz Scott led the way with 13 points. Scott was 4 of 10 from the field. The other Sooners’ starters were a combined 7 of 32 shooting.

Oklahoma still has a shot at the Big 12 regular season, but they’ll need some help along the way. The Sooners get back on the hardwood on March 1 against Kansas State before they close the season on March 4 at Oklahoma State.

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Oklahoma Sooners keep winning streak going, beat Texas Tech 84-57

The Oklahoma Sooners jumped out to a 12-point lead and never looked back as they defeated Texas Tech 84-57 to extend their win streak to 5 games.

The Oklahoma Sooners jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back in their matchup with the Texas Tech Lady Raiders on Wednesday night. The Sooners won their fifth game to move into a tie for first place in the Big 12 with the Texas Longhorns.

[autotag]Aubrey Joens[/autotag] led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. She was just one point shy of tying a career-high, which she set on Dec. 5, 2021 against Longwood when she was still with Iowa State.

Oklahoma never trailed in this one and, at one point in time, had a lead as large as 28 points.

In the early going, it was [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag] and [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag] who came out of the gate on fire to give the Sooners their quick 12-0 advantage in the first. Scott opened the scoring with a layup before Llanusa followed it up with back-to-back three-pointers. After Llanusa’s second three, she took the ball from Texas Tech’s Bre’Amber Scott and found Liz Scott for the layup.

On Tech’s next possession, Llanusa stole the ball again. After her missed three, [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag] grabbed the offensive rebound and got the ball to Llanusa again, who found Scott for a second consecutive layup to make it 12-0.

Scott had 13 points, [autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag] chipped in 12, and Tot added 11 to give the Sooners four players in double-figures.

On the evening, the Sooners shot 48.6% from the field and 42.3% from three. They held the Lady Raiders to just 33.3% from the floor and 15.8% from beyond the arc.

It was another dominating performance in a five-game winning streak where they’ve beaten their opponents by an average of 19.8 points per game.

The Sooners are now 21-4 overall and 11-3 in Big 12 play ahead of their Sunday matchup in Lawrence with the Kansas Jayhawks. The last time they played Kansas, the Sooners came away with a six-point win, led by Madi Williams’ 20 points and nine rebounds.

Then the Sooners will host the No. 17 Texas Longhorns on February 25 for what could decide the Big 12 regular season title.

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Oklahoma Sooners surge late, beat Baylor in overtime 98-92

Down as many as 12 points with under six minutes remaining, the Sooners got some timely stops and clutch shooting to beat Baylor in Waco.

The Oklahoma Sooners never led in regulation, and they didn’t need to in their win over the Baylor Bears in Waco. Oklahoma took over in overtime to pick up the 98-92 win.

After trailing by 12 points with 5:19 left to go in the fourth quarter, the Sooners used some timely defense and clutch shooting to work their way back into the game. Oklahoma battled to pull within three but couldn’t tie it.

Down five with 20 seconds to play, [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag] made quick work of the Bears’ defense, driving to the bucket to bring Oklahoma within three. After the layup, the Sooners employed their full-court press and got the turnover they were seeking. Ana Llanusa got the ball in the paint and found Taylor Robertson all alone for three. Robertson, who hadn’t gotten many open looks in the contest, buried the three to tie the game.

In overtime, the Sooners earned their first lead of the game on an Ana Llanusa three-pointer to make it 86-83. The Sooners would lead by five with under three to play before the Baylor Bears stormed back to tie it with just under two minutes remaining in the game. But from there, it was all Sooners.

Oklahoma closed the game on an 8-2 run to pick up an impressive win on the road against the Baylor Bears.

Baylor came into the game having won three in a row and four of their last five. Most recently, they traveled to Ames to beat the No. 12 Iowa State Cyclones to move into third place in the Big 12 conference.

After leading the Sooners in scoring in their win over West Virginia, [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] tied for the team lead against the Bears. Vann and [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag] each had 20 in the win. Vann was 9 of 16 from the field and chipped in six rebounds, five assists, and four steals to fill up the box score. Llanusa had an impressive all-around game as well, with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Vann and Llanusa were joined by three other Sooners in double figures. It’s the second consecutive game that Oklahoma has had five players score 10 or more points. [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] had 14. Neveah Tot had 13 points and five assists. [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag] contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in the game.

Though Oklahoma was just 10 of 35 from three, they made their final two attempts count. One at the end of regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime, and one early in the extra period to give Oklahoma an early lead.

On non-three-point attempts, the Sooners shot 55% from the field. Incredible efficiency in a game where every possession mattered.

Per Joey Helmer of OUInsider.com, it was the first time the Sooners had won back-to-back road games in Waco since 2006-2007.

It was a gutsy win for Jennie Baranczyk’s bunch who had to overcome a big deficit on the road against a surging team. The Sooners are now solidly in second place in the conference and have won three straight and eight of their last 10.

They have a chance to finish the regular season on a tear with four of their final six against teams with losing records in the conference. They have key matchups remaining against Texas and Oklahoma State, but are firmly in the thick of the regular season conference title race.

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Oklahoma Women dominate West Virginia 93-68 at the Lloyd Noble Center

The Sooners went on a 30-3 run spanning the first and second quarters, and that’s all they needed to get a 93-68 win over West Virginia, led by Skylar Vann’s 16 points.

The Oklahoma Sooners had five players in double figures, led by Skylar Vann’s 16 points off the bench to hold server at home in their 93-68 win over West Virginia on Saturday.

The two sides battled back and forth for much of the first quarter. The Sooners were up 16-14 with 4:20 left in the first. And then it was all Oklahoma. The Sooners went on a 30-3 run and were up 46-17 with 5:48 remaining in the second. The Mountaineers didn’t have an answer and the Sooners were able to cruise to the 25-point win.

Vann was 7 of 12 from the floor and added eight rebounds, three steals, and three assists to lead the Sooners. Ana Llanusa and Liz Scott each chipped in 15 points and Neveah Tot had 12.

“We played really well today,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “It was a really fun day for us, and I thought that our crowd was awesome. I thought that our defensive intensity really fueled us, which it needed to, because West Virginia is really good. They have two of the best guards in this league, and it took an entire team effort to guard them.”

On a night when Madi Williams was limited to 11 points, and Taylor Robertson had six. The Sooners needed a lift from their secondary scorers, and they provided.

Vann, Llanusa, Scott, and Tot combined to shoot 57.9% from the field. That group poured in 58 of Oklahoma’s 93 points in the win.

With the win, the Sooners move to 18-4 overall and 8-3 in Big 12 play. After losing two in a row to Texas and Iowa State, the Sooners have bounced back with big wins over TCU and West Virginia. A game behind first-place Texas, the Sooners prepare for another key matchup when the go on the road to face Baylor.

Here’s a look at the best pictures from the Oklahoma Sooners 93-68 win over West Virginia.

Oklahoma Sooners offense rolling after win over Oklahoma State

Jennie Baranczyk and the Oklahoma Sooners are rolling as they lead the Big 12 and are third in the nation in scoring.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on a roll to start Big 12 play. After their win over Oklahoma State, they’ve now won five straight and are 6-1 in the Big 12, which is good for first place in the conference.

They continue to score at an incredible rate. They’re third in the nation in scoring, averaging 87.3 points per game. That puts them just 0.9 points per game behind the No. 4 (Coaches Poll) team in the nation, the undefeated LSU Tigers. The other team in front of the Sooners is the 14-4 Iowa Hawkeyes, who are currently the No. 9 team in the most recent USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The Sooners are playing great team basketball along the way, leading the nation in assists per game with 21.2, tied with the UConn Huskies.

[autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag] is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. In the win over Oklahoma State, she scored 26 points, marking the sixth time this season she’s had more than 20 points. It’s the fourth time since December 21 that she’s crossed the 20-point mark in a game. She’s also forcing teams to respect her when she’s outside the paint, knocking down 2.3 three-pointers per game. That ability allows [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] to spread the floor, providing opportunities for other Sooners to make plays in the offense.

[autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] continues to be clutch for Oklahoma. In last night’s comeback win over Oklahoma State, she scored all 15 of her points in the second half. She leads the Big 12 in three-pointers made per game with 2.7 and three-point shooting percentage at 41..5%.

Oklahoma’s getting contributions from deep in the lineup. Four players average more than 10 points per game; Williams, Robertson, [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag], and [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag]. Llanusa is the Sooners’ second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game.

If you include [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag] (8.6) and [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag] (7.9), Oklahoma has six players averaging eight points per game or more on the season. But the scoring of those six players only accounts for 60.9% of their team average on the season. Baranczyk is getting contributions from a number of women in her lineup.

She’s gone deep into the bench and has 10 players averaging 10 minutes or more per game on the season and eight players averaging 14.8 minutes or more per game.

As of ESPN’s latest Bracketology from Friday, the Sooners are projected to be a four-seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. A win over projected six-seeded Oklahoma State could help improve their bracketology stock when ESPN updates it later this week.

They’re a force to be reckoned with and have a chance to win their first Big 12 title since 2009. The Big 12 will continue to provide tough tests along the way, but the Sooners are the team to beat moving forward.

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Oklahoma women dominate TCU early, cruise to 93-66 win over Horned Frogs

Led by Madi Williams and Ana Llanusa, the Oklahoma Sooners dominate TCU 93-66 on Wednesday night to improve to 15-2 and 5-1 in Big 12 play.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened their road tilt in Fort Worth with a 12-0 run and never looked back on their way to a 93-66 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Oklahoma was downright dominant early, leading by as many as 25 in the first and taking a 34-13 lead into the second quarter. The second quarter was a much tighter margin, but by the end of the first half, the damage was done, and Oklahoma was up 59 to 32 at the break.

Five Sooners scored in double figures, led by 19 from [autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag], who was 8 of 10 from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range. [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag] chipped in 17, helping Oklahoma get off to a furious start with 11 of her 17 points in the first half. [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag] had 12 points and [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] added 10. [autotag]Beatrice Culliton[/autotag] led all bench scorers with 10 points.

[autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] went deep into her bench tonight with the Sooners leading by a wide margin, and they rewarded her confidence with 29 points in reserve minutes.

The Sooners shot 53.6% from the field and made 10 of 20 three-pointers. On defense, Oklahoma held TCU to 34.8% from the field and 20% from three-point range. The Sooners won the rebounding battle by a 53-28 margin and were able to overcome a minus-8 in the turnover department because of their fantastic shooting night.

The No. 15 ranked Oklahoma Sooners moved to 15-2 on the season and 5-1 in Big 12 play, while TCU falls to 6-11 and 0-6 in the Big 12. Oklahoma now gets set to host the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (13-5, 3-3 Big 12) for the first Bedlam date of the year.

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