Tag: Madi Williams

Oklahoma women defeat Kansas 80-68, face No. 4 Baylor in semis finals of Big 12 tournament

Powered by senior Madi Williams’ 19 points and 11 rebounds, the Sooners topped Kansas 80-68 to advance where OU will play No. 4 Baylor.

Senior Madi Williams scored 19 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists as No. 19 Oklahoma erased an early double-digit deficit to top Kansas 80-68 in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship.

It was the seventh time this season that OU has rallied back and won after trailing by double figures. Senior Taylor Robertson matched Williams’ 19 points as she knocked down three of seven 3-pointers. Junior Liz Scott added 11 points to round out the Sooners’ double-figure scorers against the Jayhawks. In the process, OU avenged its regular season-ending 73-67 loss to Kansas.

“I’m so proud of these guys and what a great game to start off the Big 12 Tournament, and Kansas is an incredible team. And I hope they do an incredible job in the NCAA Tournament. It’s a beast of a league. It’s been really fun, and I’m almost speechless,” Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk said.

Oklahoma finished with 25 assists on 30 made baskets.

“Our point guards, we have a freshman and sophomore in those two positions, so there’s not a ton of experience there. And even in our center position, we don’t have a ton of experience. To be able to have 25 assists, typically they come between your point guard and your center. For us to be able to share the ball the way that we were able to today, I thought was great,” Baranczyk said.

After trailing early, the Sooners raced away from the Jayhawks in the second quarter. Oklahoma outscored Kansas 25-11 in the second quarter.

“We were able to do what we do. I think we were able to focus on ourselves and be the aggressors in that quarter. We got to feel out how the game would be in the first quarter. That’s what we took from that. And we were able to come out and hit them hard in the second quarter,” Williams said.

The Sooners advanced in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship for the first time since 2016. Now, OU plays No. 4 Baylor. The Bears beat Oklahoma State 76-36 to set up a third matchup against Oklahoma.

OU swept top-seeded Baylor in the regular season for the first time since 2009, winning on Jan. 12 in Norman, 83-77, and in Waco on Feb. 2, 78-77.

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How to watch and listen to women’s hoops in the Big 12 Tournament vs Kansas

When, where and what time you can watch the Oklahoma women’s basketball team take on Kansas in the the Big 12 Tournament.

With an NCAA Tournament bid as an at-large selection firmly in their back pocket, Jennie Baranczyk’s Oklahoma women’s basketball team enters the 2022 Big 12 Tournament trying cap off a highly successful regular season with a run at the Big 12 title.

Grabbing that championship will be no easy feat but the climb starts Friday evening as the Sooners (23-7,12-6 Big 12) take on the Kansas Jayhawks (20-8, 11-7 Big 12), the team they lost to in the regular season finale. That game took place in Norman and the Jayhawks came out on top 73-67.

The Sooners’ elite duo of Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson were unanimous All-Big 12 selections, leading the Sooners as they look for a little revenge against the Jayhawks.

Williams is also one of five finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, given to the nation’s best small forward.

A bad second quarter for the Sooners in their loss to Kansas set them up for their eventual loss. After a strong first quarter, Kansas put on the clamps against one of the best offensive teams in the country. Oklahoma made just 4 of their 21 shot attempts for a 19 percent clip and turned the ball over eight times, allowing the Jayhawks to score 26 second-quarter points and take a nine-point lead into the half. The rest of the game saw the Sooners trying to play catch up and they never could get over the hump.

How to watch

Date: March 11

Time: 11 a.m. CST

TV: ESPN2

How To Listen

Oklahoma’s quarterfinal game versus Kansas will air on KREF (99.3 FM/1400 AM) in Norman and on 1520 AM in Oklahoma City with play-by-play broadcaster Brian Brinkley on the call.

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How to watch, listen and stream OU women’s basketball versus Kansas

OU hosts Kansas for Senior Day Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center. Here’s how you can catch the game.

Oklahoma women’s basketball picked up the season sweep in Bedlam, rallying from a six-point halftime deficit to beat Oklahoma State 79-76 Wednesday night in Stillwater. Senior guard Taylor Robertson helped lead the way in the win over the Cowgirls with her second career double-double as she scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

“What a game for the state of Oklahoma. It was really fun and that’s how it’s supposed to be – even if you don’t really want it to be like that. I thought Oklahoma State was phenomenal…and I’m just really, really proud of our team. I thought we didn’t play well at times, but when push came to shove, we played together and we found each other – and that’s really fun,” Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk said following the Bedlam sweep.

Now, OU is looking to lock up third place in the Big 12 conference by taking care of business against Kansas at home on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. on Senior Day in Norman. The No. 19 Sooners (23-6, 12-5 Big 12) will finish third in the league with a win over Kansas and an Iowa State road win at West Virginia.

Here’s how fans can watch, listen and stream the Sooners versus the Jayhawks.

How to watch

Date: March 5

Time: 2 p.m.

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma will air Oklahoma versus Kansas.

How to listen

Oklahoma’s Senior Day contest versus Kansas will air on KREF (99.3 FM/1400 AM) in Norman and on 1520 AM in Oklahoma City with play-by-play broadcaster Brian Brinkley on the call. On KREF, the game will be joined in progress following the conclusion of Oklahoma baseball versus UCLA. Here’s how fans can watch, listen and stream OU baseball in the 2022 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic.

How to stream

Fans can stream the radio broadcast by downloading the SportsTalk1400 app. On the SportsTalk1400 app, the game will be joined in progress following the conclusion of Oklahoma baseball versus UCLA.

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Sooners Wire Player of the Week: Taylor Robertson beats buzzer to nab award

Taylor Robertson hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to down Kansas State, 72-69, to earn Sooners Wire Player of the Week honors.

With the final seconds draining away against Kansas State, Taylor Robertson drifted out into the corner as Madi Williams kicked the basketball back outside to Skylar Vann. Vann quickly swung the basketball over to Robertson who needed no time at all to set her feet and hoist the buzzer-beating 3-pointer that sunk Kansas State, 72-69.

As a result, Robertson is this week’s Sooners Wire Player of the Week.

The game-winner was Robertson’s fourth made 3-pointer of the game and she finished with 17 points to help the Sooners avenge their loss in Manhattan earlier this season and move into a tie for third place in the Big 12 Conference standings at 11-5.

“I knew I got it off in time. Whenever I shoot, I always think it’s going to go in, but I knew as soon as it left my hands, I knew it was going to go in because it felt good. It felt good, it looked good, it was right on line, so I knew it was good,” Robertson said.

All of her treys came in the final quarter and Robertson discussed what clicked for her and the Sooners late.

“I think it was a lot of my teammates were really trying to set me up. A lot of it was off a ball screen or in transition. They were really looking for me and trying to put me in a good spot to be able to get my shot off. I think a lot of it, too. I was just trying to be patient and not force up a whole bunch because I hadn’t been shooting or anything. I was just trying to let it come to me, because eventually it always does,” Robertson said.

OU held Kansas State star Ayoka Lee to just 13 points after she set the NCAA record with 61 points during the Wildcats’ 94-65 January win over the Sooners. Naturally, Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk was pleased with her team’s response and the big shot that Robertson swished.

“What a game. What a finish. Obviously, Kansas State’s a very good basketball team that provides a big matchup problem for us. I thought they (K-State) played incredible and I thought we did a really nice job of playing together. I love our defensive intensity really in the first couple quarters and really into that fourth quarter. We’re going to keep getting better. I love when we play at the tempo and the pace that we like to play. We get a little stagnant at times, but we’ll figure it out. I’m just really proud of this one and I’m really proud of the end of the game. You put your money on this team any time when we’re in it at the end,” Baranczyk said of the win.

In addition to what it meant for Oklahoma in the conference standings, it was equally important for the Sooners chances to open the NCAA Tournament with a pair of games in Norman.

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Taylor Robertson’s three at the buzzer lifts OU over Kansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners beat the Kansas State Wildcats on Taylor Robertson’s three at the buzzer.

On an afternoon when the Oklahoma Sooners were honoring Sherri Coale and the 2002 final four team, the present day Sooners provided a moment to remember when Taylor Robertson drained a three at the buzzer to beat Kansas State.

In a game where the Sooners led by as many nine, the Wildcats battled back in the second half to make it a game late.

The Wildcats would take a 60-59 lead with just under six minutes to play, but that would be the last time the Wildcats would lead. Over the final 5:59, Oklahoma was either tied or led Kansas State, ultimately winning on Robertson’s last-second three.

For the game, Robertson was 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 7 from three for 17 points. She added five rebounds to her stellar performance. Madi Williams led the way for the Sooners with 18 points and 10 points, going 7 of 11 from the field. Skylar Vann was the only other Sooner in double figures with 10 points off the bench to help Oklahoma win their second in a row after a three-game losing streak.

The Sooners are 22-6 on the season and third in the Big 12 with matchups against Oklahoma State and Kansas to close the season,

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Oklahoma Sooners up 3 spots in latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

After beating No. 9 Baylor and West Virginia, the Sooners moved up 3 spots in the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners have rattled off four-straight wins since their upset loss to Kansas State. They’ve beaten Texas and Baylor who were each ranked No. 9 in the country at the time the Sooners picked up the win.

For their efforts, the 20-3 Sooners, who sit tied with Iowa State for first place in the Big 12, the Sooners moved up to No. 15 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

Oklahoma picked up dramatic wins over Baylor and West Virginia in the last week led by Madi Williams who picked up Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Williams averaged 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the Sooners one-possession wins over the Bears and Mountaineers.

Oklahoma still sits four spots back of Baylor and six spots behind Iowa State who is No. 9 and the highest-rated team in the Big 12. Oklahoma takes on the No. 16 Texas Longhorns on Saturday in Austin.

Here’s a full look at the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 South Carolina 21-1 799 (31) –
2 Stanford 18-3 763 (1) +1
3 Louisville 21-2 733 +1
4 Michigan 20-2 693 +1
5 NC State 21-3 675 -2
6 Indiana 16-3 638 –
7 Arizona 17-3 638 -2
8 Connecticut 15-4 574 +1
9 Iowa State 20-3 538 +1
10 Tennessee 19-4 447 +1
11 Baylor 17-5 445 +1
12 Maryland 17-6 416 +2
13 LSU 19-4 395 +2
14 Georgia 17-5 373 -3
15 Oklahoma 20-3 349 +3
16 Georgia Tech 18-5 318 +1
17 Texas 15-6 284 -4
18 BYU 19-2 235 -2
19 Notre Dame 1805 228 –
20 Florida Gulf Coast 21-1 209 –
21 Ohio State 17-4 200 –
22 North Carolina 18-4 148 +1
23 Florida 17-6 80 +13
24 Iowa 15-6 74 –
25 Oregon 15-7 41 -3
25 Ole Miss 18-5 63 –

Schools Dropped Out

None

Others Receiving Votes

Kansas State 21; Liberty 20; Central Florida 19; South Florida 10; Rhode Island 7; Virginia Tech 6; Stony Brook 6; Nebraska 4; Drexel 4; Dayton 3; Duke 2; Utah 1; Gonzaga 1.

Oklahoma Sooners Madi Williams wins Big 12 Player of the Week

For her efforts in wins over Baylor and West Virginia, Madi Williams was named the Big 12’s player of the week.

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The Oklahoma Sooners have had an impressive first season under new head coach Jennie Baranczyk. They’re 20-3 overall on the season and 9-2 in Big 12 play and currently tied with the Iowa State Cyclones for first place in the conference. Much of the success the Sooners have had has come from a team approach that’s seen several players win the Big 12 Player of the Week award. Madi Williams is the latest.

Yesterday, Williams became the fourth Sooner to win the award this season. She was the catalyst for Oklahoma’s wins over Baylor and West Virginia last week. Both tight games, the Sooners needed late-game heroics to pull out the win.

Against Baylor, Williams’ found Liz Scott for the go-ahead layup to give the Sooners the 78-77 win over the No. 9 Bears. In a double-overtime thriller against West Virginia, this time it was Williams getting the game-winning bucket with nine seconds left to send the Sooners to a 101-99 victory over the Mountaineers.

According to Oklahoma’s Twitter account, it is just the second time in the history of the award that four women have been selected Big 12 Player of the Week from the same team in the same season.

In addition to Williams, Skylar Vann, Taylor Robertson, and Ana Llanusa have each won the award this season.

Madi Williams shot 51% from the field and 40% from three-point range in the two Sooners’ victories, averaging, 21.5 points per game. She also averaged 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and two steals in the two wins. On the season, Williams is leading the Sooners with 18.6 points per game, eight rebounds per game, is fourth in assists and second in steals.

The Oklahoma Sooners look to add to their four-game winning streak on Saturday in Austin against the No. 16 Texas Longhorns.

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Oklahoma women’s basketball downs West Virginia, 88-76, improves to 16-2

Madi Williams scored 23 points, Taylor Robertson added 22 points and No. 14/19 Oklahoma topped West Virginia, 88-76, to improve to 16-2.

The Oklahoma women’s basketball team kept rolling, rallying from a halftime deficit to top West Virginia, 88-76, to improve to 16-2 overall (5-1 Big 12).

Senior Madi Williams finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting and senior Taylor Robertson knocked down 5-of-10 from three-point distance to deliver 22 points.

Trailing 46-44 at halftime, OU outscored West Virginia 28-12 in the third quarter to take control. After WVU’s Esmery Martinez made a jumper to pull the Mountaineers within one point at 58-57, the Sooners closed the third on a 14-1 run to open the game up.

“What a tough game. I mean, I think obviously West Virginia is a very good basketball team. They’re very physical. I thought they pounded it inside on us. I thought they exposed us in a lot of areas and I’m really proud of our team. I thought our first quarter was pretty good and I thought that the way we came out of halftime. There were some great performances on both sides today which I think is a great game for women’s basketball,” Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk said.

What exactly did spearhead that big third-quarter run for the Sooners?

“I think when we move and we play really good defense, we do a pretty nice job. I mean, we’re limited right now in terms of our inside play. We were down a point guard today, so I think we took care of the ball. I think sometimes it helps you on both ends. I’d have to go back and look, but I just think our overall energy and I thought the tempo of our game was a huge key in that third quarter,” Baranczyk said.

“I think we want to get up tempo. I mean, that’s a huge part of what we do period. Now, what I would’ve liked to have seen is not just fast break in the full court. I think in terms of up tempo, I love that in the full court. I also love it a little bit more in the half court. I think we got on our heels a little bit. Credit to West Virginia for that, especially in those second and third quarters, but, offensively, yeah, we want to be able to get out. It’s fun and I think we have a lot of people that can bring the ball up the floor. We have a lot of people that can do a lot of things. We want to be able to make reads and get up and down.”

It’s the best start for Oklahoma since the 2006-07 season. OU travels to Kansas State next where it will play the Wildcats at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

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Oklahoma up to No. 19 in USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

After wins over then-No. 13 Baylor and TCU, OU jumped six spots to No. 19 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

After a week that saw Oklahoma rally from three separate double-digit deficits to topple then-No. 13 Baylor, 83-77, and collect a 100-71 triumph over TCU, the Sooners jumped up six spots to No. 19 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

It’s the highest ranking of the season for OU. Oklahoma made its debut in the Coaches Poll on Jan. 4 when the Sooners debuted at No. 25 and that’s the same ranking OU had last week before wins over Baylor and TCU.

OU also saw a program-best jump of nine spots in the AP Top 25 poll where the Sooners currently are ranked No. 14.

OU has won 12 of its past 13 games—including a 99-91 overtime victory over then-No. 17 BYU on Dec. 10—and the Sooners are enjoying their best start to a season at 15-2 (4-1 Big 12) since the 2006-07 squad began 17-1.

Oklahoma’s Skylar Vann was named the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after averaging 21 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in the two wins over Baylor and TCU. Vann poured in 22 points off the bench versus Baylor.

“Their on-court chemistry you can see is really starting to come because they’re putting each other in their strengths. That’s been pretty fun to see,” Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk said after the TCU win.

Oklahoma travels to West Virginia on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. before a second road date this week at Kansas State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Other Big 12 teams that join the Sooners in the Coaches Poll include No. 7 Iowa State, No. 14 Texas and No. 16 Baylor. Kansas State also received one point in the receiving votes category.

The top five is No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 North Carolina State and No. 5 Indiana.

Here’s a full look at the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 South Carolina 17-1 792 (26) –
2 Louisville 15-1 765 (6) –
3 Stanford 13-3 736 –
4 NC State 16-2 705 –
5 Indiana 14-2 661 –
6 Tennessee 17-1 648 –
7 Iowa State 16-1 591 +2
8 Michigan 15-2 581 +2
9 Arizona 12-2 511 -2
10 LSU 17-2 473 +4
11 Maryland 12-5 452 -3
12 Connecticut 9-4 441 -1
13 Georgia 14-3 411 +2
14 Texas 12-3 336 -2
15 BYU 14-1 324 +2
16 Baylor 11-4 321 -3
17 Notre Dame 13-3 285 +2
18 Georgia Tech 13-4 226 -2
19 Oklahoma 15-2 216 +6
20 North Carolina 14-2 211 -2
21 Florida Gulf Coast 15-1 147 +2
22 Kentucky 8-5 123 -2
23 Colorado 13-2 79 -1
24 Duke 11-4 74 +3
25 Ohio State 13-3 63 +2

Schools Dropped Out

No. 24 South Florida

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa 59; Oregon 52; Central Florida 25; South Florida 24; Mississippi 21; Virginia Tech 10; Oregon St. 9; Missouri St. 7; Massachusetts 7; Texas A&M 6; Mississippi State 3; Liberty 3; Nebraska 1; Kansas State 1; Gonzaga 1.

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Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves, Madi Williams take Big 12 weekly honors

Austin Reaves of the men’s basketball team and Madi Williams of the women’s team earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors for Oklahoma.

Both of the Oklahoma Sooners basketball teams traveled to Morgantown, West Virginia, over the weekend. Both of which had top 20 matchups on the court with the Mountaineers. Both came out on top by the exact same margin, one point.

That isn’t where the similarities ended for the Sooners basketball squads. It took four periods for both to pull off the victory. Of course, the men went into double overtime, while the women played the normal four quarters. One player from each team took home honors from the Big 12 Conference.

Austin Reaves flirted with a triple-double in this game missing the mark by one rebound and three assists but he was the game-high scorer with 28 points. The most important shot he took all game was the floater in the pain with under 30 seconds remaining in the second overtime period to go up 91-90.

Against the Mountaineers, Madi Williams scored 21 points with eight rebounds and eight assists. Against Iowa State, she registered 27 points and 13 rebounds against the Cyclones 67-61. Her performance in both wins earned her Big 12 Player of the Week honors.

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