Oklahoma Sooners Women’s Basketball – Page 3

Oklahoma Sooners move up one spot in latest Women’s Basketball AP Poll

After beating Texas, the Sooners move up one spot to No. 19 in the latest Women’s Basketball AP Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the Big 12 tournament starting March 7 in Kansas City. The Sooners head into the tournament coming off of a big win over No. 3 Texas but were upset in Lawrence on the final day of the regular season.

Still, with a Big 12 regular season title in hand, OU is a threat to win the Big 12 tournament.

The win over Texas, more than the loss to Kansas, helped the Sooners rise one spot in the latest AP Top 25 to No. 19 in the nation. They’re the fourth highest-ranked Big 12 team behind Texas at No. 6, Kansas State at No. 16, and Baylor at No. 17.

Though they weren’t able to make a significant move this week in the poll, a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament could get them closer to the top 10.

The South Carolina Gamecocks head into tournament play as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners Bedlam Basketball Sweep

Both the Oklahoma Sooners men’s and women’s basketball teams completed sweeps of Oklahoma State in Bedlam on Saturday and here’s how social media reacted.

It was a wonderful day to be a Sooner fan on Saturday. In addition to the displays put forth on the diamond by OU Baseball and Softball, the teams that call the hardwood home provided some memorable performances in Bedlam.

The OU Men’s team won in dramatic fashion on Javian McCollum’s buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime. OU Women’s Bedlam win was a little less dramatic as Jennie Baranczyk and the Sooners cruised to a 35-point win in Norman.

Porter Moser hadn’t beaten Oklahoma State prior to this year and now he’s earned a sweep. Baranczyk, on the other hand, is 6-0 against the Cowgirls, who can’t wait for the OU Women’s team to be in the SEC and not a thorn in their side.

Freshman [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] had a career-high 20 points to lead the Sooners, while [autotag]Lexi Keys[/autotag] became a part of NCAA history with her 1,000th career point.

Javian McCollum cemented his legacy with the buzzer-beater to win the game. It was a huge win that likely helped solidify Oklahoma’s spot in the NCAA tournament.

Here’s a look at some of the best reactions on social media from both the men’s and women’s outcomes.

Best Photos from the Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball dominant Bedlam win

A look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma Women’s Bedlam domination of Oklahoma State.

On an afternoon when they celebrated 50 years of Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball, Jennie Baranczyk’s squad put on a clinic.

The Sooners completed the Bedlam sweep with a 35-point domination of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. In the process, Baranczyk moved to 6-0 against Oklahoma State and the Sooners are now 14-2 in Big 12 play and 20-7 overall.

True freshman [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] had a career-high 20 points, and [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] continued her fantastic couple of months with a double-double. [autotag]Lexi Keys[/autotag] scored her 1,000th career point in college basketball on what turned out to be a historic day for the Sooners.

The Sooners were up by just eight at halftime and then proceeded to outscore the Cowgirls by 27 points in the second half to earn the win.

This sets up a Red River Rivalry rematch that could decide the Big 12 championship on Wednesday. If the Sooners win, they’ll clinch an outright Big 12 title. If Texas wins, it’ll all come down to Saturday where Oklahoma could earn at least a share of the conference title with a win over Kansas.

Here are some of the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners win over the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in Bedlam.

Sooners Roll: Best Photos from Oklahoma Women’s win over Baylor

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up another big win and here are some of the best photos from their performance against Baylor.

Few teams are playing better basketball right now than the Oklahoma Sooners women’s team. With their 84-73 win over the Baylor Bears, they moved to 12-1 in Big 12 play and 18-6 on the season.

The win over Baylor saw five Sooners score in double figures. [autotag]Kiersten Johnson[/autotag] led the way with a career-high 20 points. [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] added 16, [autotag]Nevaeh Tot [/autotag]and [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] chipped in 14, and despite some foul trouble, Skylar Vann rallied with eight points in the fourth quarter to help the Sooners seal the win.

The Sooners earned the 11-point win despite shooting just 24.8% from three-point range. The win came in large part due to Oklahoma’s defense. They held the Bears to 36.8% from the field and forced 17 turnovers.

Now, after Kansas State’s loss to Iowa State Wednesday night, the Sooners sit two games up in the regular season conference title race with five games to go. They’ll have their challenges, but with the way Jennie Baranczyk has her team playing, it’s hard to imagine the Oklahoma Sooners not having success down the stretch.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners win over the Baylor Bears.

More: Social media reacts to Oklahoma’s win over Baylor

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners win over the Baylor Bears

The Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball team picked up a big win over Baylor on Wednesday night and here’s how social media reacted.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 12-1 in Big 12 play and 18-6 on the season. They’ve won nine in a row after beating the Baylor Bears 84-73 on Wednesday night.

It’s been as dramatic a turnaround as we’ve seen around here. Just before Big 12 play began, the Oklahoma Sooners lost to the Southern Jaguars out of the SWAC.

They’ve been a completely different team since that upset loss and have ascended to lead the Big 12 now by two games after Kansas State’s loss to Iowa State.

With the depth they’re playing with, [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] has a squad that could be set for a deep run. In their two previous tournament appearances, the Sooners were unable to advance out of the round of 32. But with the way they’re playing, they might be able to earn a top four seed and host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

There are five games to go and the Big 12 tournament, but Oklahoma’s positioned itself well to make a deep run into March.

In the win over Baylor, five Oklahoma Sooners scored in double-figures, led by a career-high 20 points from [autotag]Kiersten Johnson[/autotag]. [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] stayed hot, filling up the box score with 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks and a steal.

It was a strong win over a Baylor team that was ranked higher in the latest polls and here’s how social media reacted.

No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners knock off No. 21 Baylor Bears 84-73

The Oklahoma Sooners continued their strong march through Big 12 play with an 84-73 win over Baylor.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on a roll of late and that continued Wednesday evening in their 84-73 win over the Baylor Lady Bears on Pink Night, raising breast cancer awareness.

The Sooners have now won nine straight and remain in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with five games remaining. The Sooners are now 18-6 and 12-1 in Big 12 play.

Oklahoma received a big-time performance from [autotag]Kiersten Johnson[/autotag], who had a career-high 20 points in 22 minutes off the bench. She also added five rebounds, four assists, and three blocks to fill up the box score for the Sooners.

The game was 21-19 after one quarter, but in the second, Oklahoma used an 8-3 run late in the half to pull ahead by six going into halftime. That sparked a third quarter that was all Sooners.

OU led by 13 going into the fourth quarter and with Skylar Vann only contribution two points through the first three quarters.

The Sooners maintained their big lead for much of the fourth quarter, but just passed the midway point of the frame, Oklahoma began getting a little sloppy with the basketball and taking threes early in the shot clock that weren’t falling. With just under five minutes to play, the Bears pulled to within four, and the Sooners took control the rest of the way.

After Baylor pulled within a couple of possessions, the Sooners used a 6-0 run to reestablish a 10-point lead. The two sides traded threes to keep the margin double-digits and the Sooners kept the Bears at arms length for the final few minutes of the quarter.

Despite Vann’s sluggish start, she turned it on in the fourth with eight points to help Oklahoma close out the win.

Oklahoma had five players in double figures, led by Johnson. [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] continued her strong play of late with 16 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Verhulst added 11 rebounds and seven assists to nearly pull off the triple-double. [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag] was like lightning out there, using her speed to keep Baylor off-balance. She finished with 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting, dished out four assists, and came away with four steals. Freshman [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] had a strong performance, putting up 14 points and six rebounds in the win.

Defensively, Oklahoma held Baylor under 40% shooting for the night, forced 17 turnovers and earned an edge in the rebounding department.

It was another strong team effort for [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag]’s crew as the Sooners continue to establish themselves as the best in the Big 12.

Oklahoma has another top-25 matchup on the horizon, traveling to Morgantown this weekend to take on the No. 24 West Virginia Mountaineers.

Oklahoma Sooners Women move up one spot in latest AP Poll

The Oklahoma Sooners are rolling through Big 12 play and moved up one spot in the latest AP Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball team is arguably the hottest in the country right now. They’re in the midst of an eight-game winning streak and are 11-1 in the Big 12.

Last week, they beat TCU and Iowa State by an average of 15.5 points per game. With their success since conference play began, the Sooners entered the AP Top 25 last week and then rose one spot to No. 23 in this week’s poll after their 2-0 week.

Though Oklahoma’s all alone in first place, they still have a lot to prove to the AP voters, who have Big 12 teams Texas, Kansas State, and Baylor ranked ahead of the first-place Sooners.

Oklahoma split the season series with Kansas State, beating the then No. 2 Wildcats. They also hold a win over the Texas Longhorns

Oklahoma will have a chance to make a statement this week when they take on No. 21 Baylor and No. 24 West Virginia.

RK	TEAM	REC	PTS	TREND
1	South Carolina (35)	23-0	875	–
2	Ohio State	21-3	821	+3
3	Stanford	22-3	788	+3
4	Iowa	22-3	726	-2
5	Texas	22-3	708	+2
6	NC State	21-3	703	-3
7	Kansas State	21-3	631	+1
8	Colorado	20-4	625	-4
9	UCLA	19-4	565	–
10	USC	17-4	555	–
11	Oregon State	20-3	514	+6
12	Virginia Tech	20-4	509	+4
13	LSU	21-4	472	–
14	Indiana	20-3	432	–
15	UConn	20-5	398	-4
16	Notre Dame	18-5	340	-4
17	Gonzaga	24-2	300	+2
18	Louisville	20-5	299	-3
19	Syracuse	20-4	223	+4
20	Creighton	20-3	200	+1
21	Baylor	18-5	172	-3
22	Utah	18-7	142	-2
23	Oklahoma	17-6	135	+1
24	West Virginia	20-3	85	-2
25	Princeton	18-3	71	–

Others receiving votes: UNLV 41, Fairfield 29, Saint Joseph’s 4, North Carolina 4, Duke 4, Tennessee 1, Mississippi State 1, Nebraska 1, Michigan State 1

Oklahoma Sooners beat Iowa State Cyclones 86-72

Payton Verhulst had a big game to lead the Sooners in their 86-72 win over the Iowa State Cyclones.

The Oklahoma Sooners went on the road to Ames, Iowa, and took care of business against a tough Iowa State Cyclones team. The Sooners remained in first place in the Big 12 with their 86-72 win Saturday night.

Payton Verhulst led the way from the jump, hitting a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter on the way to a 25-point performance. She also had eight rebounds and six assists. She was 8 of 17 on the evening and 6 of 11 from three.

Though the final margin reads 14 points, the game was close for much of the first quarter, but the Sooners pulled away in the final few minutes of the quarter on a 10-2 run to establish an eight-point lead at 27-19. And the Sooners never let it get close again.

After the Cyclones shot 50% in the first quarter and 46% in the second, the Sooners turned it up defensively, holding Iowa State to 35% shooting in the third quarter and 27% in the fourth.

For the game, the Sooners shot 45% from the field and 39% from three.

Skylar Vann provided 12 points and four rebounds and Neveah Tot nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine assists.

Oklahoma outrebounded the Cyclones by 10 and also had 10 more assists than Iowa State.

It was another solid win for Jennie Baranczyk’s crew, who are now 17-6 on the season and 11-1 in the Big 12. It’s a strong statement ahead of a big midweek showdown with the Baylor Bears on Wednesday.

Sooners, Jennie Baranczyk add blue-chip players on National Signing Day

On national signing day, the Oklahoma Sooners and Jennie Baranczyk added Sahara Williams and Landry Allen for the 2023-2024 season. From @john9williams

The Oklahoma Sooners started the season in record-breaking fashion with their 105-94 win over Oral Roberts on Monday. On Wednesday, Jennie Baranczyk built upon an already strong foundation she’s laid by adding two top prospects for the 2023-2024 season.

On national signing day, Sahara Williams and Landry Allen in their 2023 recruiting class.

Williams is a five-star prospect out of Waterloo, Iowa, and is considered the No. 5 guard in the country, according to ESPN. A three-time all-conference player and 2022 3×3 gold medalist, Williams chose the Oklahoma Sooners over Iowa, Iowa State, and USC.

“Sahara may be one of the best two-way players in the country,” Baranczyk told SoonerSports.com. “She has an incredible desire to compete on every possession. That intangible has allowed her to lead her team to the Iowa state tournament three times. It has led her to compete for championships with the All Iowa Attack Nike EYBL program and to a 3×3 USA Basketball Gold medal. She is an incredible and passionate leader that simply brings out the best in those around her. We’re so excited to have Sahara as an Oklahoma Sooner!”

Landry Allen hails from Tuttle, Okla. and was considered a four-star prospect and the No. 2 player in the state per Prep Girls Hoops. In her sophomore season, she helped lead Tuttle to their first state championship by averaging 20.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks in the state tournament. According to her former coach at Tuttle, Allen had more than 400 blocked shots in three seasons and never once fouled out of a game. Allen chose the Sooners over Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, and Iowa State among others.

“Landry is ‘Sooner Born, Sooner Bred’,” Jennie Baranczyk said on national signing day via SoonerSports.com. “It will always be a goal of ours to keep the best players in the Sooner State here at home. Landry has won a state championship here in Oklahoma and has won many championships, including a national championship with Southwest Elite. She has great length and athleticism with incredible hands and great footwork. We love the way she can run the floor and her passing ability. We are so excited that Landry is now officially a Sooner!”

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