Tag: Madi Williams

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.

Madi Williams selected No. 18 overall by the Seattle Storm in the WNBA Draft

In the 2023 WNBA Draft, Oklahoma Sooners forward Madi Williams was selected No. 18 overall by the Seattle Storm.

After a tremendous career at the University of Oklahoma, Sooners forward Madi Williams was selected No. 18 overall by the Seattle Storm in the WNBA draft.

In five seasons with the Sooners, Williams played in 147 games and averaged 16.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. She was a 44.7% shooter from the field and was 30.7% from three.

Williams helped Oklahoma reach the round of 32 each of her last two seasons in Norman and averaged double-digits each of her five seasons at the collegiate level.

Williams was ESPN’s second-best small forward in the 2023 WNBA draft and ranked No. 14 overall.

She joins a team that went 22-14 in 2022, second in the Western Conference but lost to the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.

Williams is a fantastic offensive player that can handle the ball at the point and play inside on the block. She brings a well-rounded skillset to Seattle and will be an immediate contributor at the WNBA level.

Best photos of Madi Williams’ time with the Oklahoma Sooners

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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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.

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 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 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 up to No. 13 in ESPN’s latest Women’s Basketball power rankings

After impressive wins over TCU and West Virginia, the Oklahoma Sooners climbed three spots in the latest ESPN Power Rankings.

After a rough week against Texas and Iowa State, the Sooners started another winning streak with blowout wins over TCU and West Virginia.

In their latest wins, Oklahoma outscored their opponents by an average of 24 points per game. The No. 3 scoring team in the nation continued to run hot even in a game where Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson were held in check.

Jennie Baranczyk showed off her depth this week in the win over West Virginia. Neveah Tot, Ana Llanusa, Skylar Vann, and Liz Scott combined for 58 of Oklahoma’s 93 points in the game to give the Sooners five players in double figures, along with Williams 11 points in the win.

With the two wins, they’re up to No. 13 in the latest ESPN power rankings.

Things can change very quickly in a competitive conference like the Big 12. A week ago, Iowa State was tied for first and looking good after two victories, while the Sooners had just lost two games. It’s the opposite this week, with the Cyclones losing twice and dropping from the Power Rankings and the Sooners climbing three spots after victories over TCU and West Virginia.

Three-point record holder [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] also got a chance to meet idol Steph Curry when the Golden State Warriors faced the Oklahoma City Thunder, so it was an all-around good week in Soonerland. But their foes this week, the Bears and Wildcats, are the two teams that just upset Iowa State. – M.A. Voepel, ESPN

At 18-4 and 8-3 in the Big 12, the Sooners are just one game back of first-place Texas. With the way this team scores, they have a shot to earn Oklahoma’s first Big 12 basketball title since the 2008-2009 season.

The Sooners look to be a shoe-in for back-to-back tournament appearances to start the Baranczyk era after missing out on postseason play from 2019 to 2021.

Oklahoma travels to Waco to take on a Baylor Bears team that has won three in a row, including a 76-70 win over No. 16 Iowa State in Ames. The Bears are starting to figure things out after a stretch where they lost three of four.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN+.

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