Sahara Williams – Syndication Server

Oklahoma Sooners lose a heartbreaker to Indiana Hoosiers in NCAA Tournament

The Oklahoma Sooners lost a heartbreaker to the Indiana Hoosiers in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Indiana Hoosiers played a tough back-and-forth game throughout their second-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament.

The Sooners held a seven-point lead in the third quarter and a four-point lead with just over two minutes to play, but couldn’t make the advantages hold up.

Turnovers down the stretch gave Indiana an opportunity to take the lead and ultimately pull away for the 75-68 win over the Sooners. The Hoosiers move on to the Sweet 16, where they’ll face top-seeded South Carolina.

It was a rough shooting night for the Sooners, who shot 35.1% from the field and were 4 of 25 (16%) from three. The Hoosiers didn’t shoot that much better, but unlike the Sooners, Indiana was the beneficiary of some uneven officiating.

Indiana shot 16 more free throws than Oklahoma in their seven-point win. Oklahoma’s impressive post duo [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] and [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] only got to the line eight times combined.

Vann led the way for the Sooners with 20 points on 8 of 23 shooting and Williams added 12 points. Aubrey Joens was the only Sooner in double-figures.

Oklahoma’s starters shot just 25% for the game and the Sooners were just 1-for-7 in the final 2:41 of the game as the Hoosiers went on a 15-4 run to close out the round of 32 win.

It was an unfortunate end to a really good season for the Oklahoma Sooners. They won the Big 12 regular season title and had a shot at their first Sweet 16 in the [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] era. Still, it’s a loss that will sting as Oklahoma had opportunities to pick up the win.

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Oklahoma Sooners survive Florida Gulf Coast upset bid to advance in NCAA Tournament

After trailing for all of the entirety of the first half, the Oklahoma Sooners rallied to beat Florida Gulf Coast 73-70 to advance.

In their opening-round matchup, the Oklahoma Sooners were put to the test by No. 12 seed and ASun champion Florida Gulf Coast.

Oklahoma fell behind in the first quarter by as much as 12 points and were down 10 after the first 10 minutes. But [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag]’s squad responded with a big second quarter to trail by just two at halftime.

The Sooners shot it well in the first, but Florida Gulf Coast forced them into four turnovers, and the Eagles earned four offensive rebounds to keep the pressure on the No. 5 seed Oklahoma.

In the second quarter, the Sooners turned up the defensive pressure, holding the Eagles to just 26.7% shooting after they shot 47% in the first quarter. That defensive effort allowed Oklahoma to cut into the deficit.

Oklahoma’s dynamic forward duo [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] and [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] led the way with 10 points apiece.

The second half featured a back-and-forth affair with each team taking leads throughout the final 20 minutes.

Battling an injury, Vann continued her dynamic NCAA Tournament performance with 14 second-half points, including six fourth-quarter points and a free throw that gave OU a three-point lead in the final seconds of the game. [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] came up clutch with seven of her 11 points in the fourth, including what turned out to be the game-winner with under a minute to play.

For the game, Vann scored 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting to lead the way for the Sooners who had just three players in double figures in the win.

Florida Gulf Coast’s Emani Jefferson had a fantastic game, with 22 points and 12 rebounds to give the Sooners fits.

For the game, Oklahoma held Florida Gulf Coast to just 37% shooting and the Sooners only led for a total of 7:57 of game time.

The Sooners survived and now will take on the host Indiana Hoosiers in the round of 32 on Monday. Gametime is currently to be determined.

Oklahoma Sooners lose to the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals again

Sooners Big 12 tournament run is over as they fall to the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.

It was just one season ago the Oklahoma Sooners were co-regular season Big 12 champs and headed into the semifinals of the [autotag]Big 12 tournament[/autotag] to take on the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag]. The Sooners would go on to lose that game.

Now, they came into the rematch as Big 12 regular season champs, ready to face the Cyclones again. Iowa State jumped on the Sooners early with a quick 18-7 lead. The Sooners were able to battle back and got it to a three-point game in the second quarter after a [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] three.

That’s when the Cyclones really started to put their stamp on the game as they finished the quarter on a 17-6 run to take a 38-24 lead at the half. The second half was much like the end of the first half and was completely dominated by the Cyclones. The Sooners were never able to get it closer than the 14 points at the half. The Cyclones led by as many as 28 points in the second half.

The Cyclones coasted in the fourth quarter and beat the Sooners 85-68, ending the Sooners’ Big 12 tournament run. The Sooners shot 36.1% from the field and 30.3% from three, while Iowa State shot 57.9% from the field and 52.2% from three.

[autotag]Audi Crooks[/autotag] dominated the Sooners and led the way with 25 points and nine rebounds. For the Sooners, [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] had 16 points and five rebounds, and [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] had 23 points and seven rebounds.

Now, the Sooners wait for selection day to find out where they will be headed in the NCAA tournament. The biggest question now is if they’ve done enough to earn a top-four seed in the tournament, which would allow them to host the first two rounds in Norman.

But there is no question they’ve done a great job turning things around after how much they struggled earlier in the season.

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 Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Best Photos from the Oklahoma Sooners win over TCU in the Big 12 tournament

A look at the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 69-53 Big 12 tournament win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

In her first collegiate tournament game, [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] showed up in a big way. Williams led the way with 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half of the Oklahoma Sooners win over the TCU Horned Frogs in the Big 12 tournament.

Williams was 5 of 11 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and recorded eight rebounds along the way. Williams’ performance helped propel the Sooners while [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] and [autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag] combined to shoot 5 for 18.

[autotag]Lexy Keys[/autotag] was the only other Sooner in double-figures, scoring 11. She was 3 of 4 from three and 4 of 5 from the field.

The Sooners now move on to the Big 12 tournament semifinals where they’ll take on Iowa State. The Sooners beat the Cyclones 86-72 back in February.

Verhulst had a career-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists on the road in Ames.

Here are the best photos from Oklahoma’s win over TCU.

Oklahoma Sooners open Big 12 tournament play with big win over TCU Horned Frogs

The Oklahoma Sooners led from start to finish in their 69-53 Big 12 tournament win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

It didn’t take long for the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners to find their footing in the Big 12 tournament in their 69-53 win over the TCU Horned Frogs. The Sooners led from start to finish.

Oklahoma opened up a 10-point lead in the first quarter and pushed it to 12 early in the second quarter. But the Horned Frogs didn’t go quietly in the first half, closing the first 20 minutes of play down just five. TCU outscored the Sooners by four in the second frame.

[autotag]Lexy Keys[/autotag] led the Sooners in scoring in the first half, scoring nine points on three of three shooting from the three-point line. Aubrey Joens had five points in the first quarter.

It was a back-and-forth third quarter, and TCU even pulled within three points with just under two minutes to play in the quarter. But in the fourth, the Sooners began to pull away with a 17-11 final 10 minutes.

The Sooners had a fantastic game in the paint, outscoring the Frogs 30-14 and outrebounding TCU 46-35. Oklahoma shot 42% from the field and 42% from three while holding TCU to just 29% shooting from the field.

True freshman [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] led Oklahoma in scoring for the game, with 17 points on 5 of 11 shooting. She was one of two from three and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. She turned it on in the second half with 13 points for the Sooners.

The Sooners move on to the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament, where they’ll take on Iowa State on Monday at 1:30 p.m. CT.

Jennie Baranczyk named Big 12 Coach of the Year, Skylar Vann Co-Player of the Year

Led by Jennie Baranczyk and Skylar Vann, several Sooners earn Big 12 women’s basketball regular season awards.

After a tremendous run in Big 12 play, several Sooners were honored with Big 12 regular season awards.

In her second year at Oklahoma, [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] was named Big 12 coach of the year after leading the Sooners to their second straight Big 12 regular season title. This after a 6-5 performance in the nonconference portion of the Sooners schedule.

The Sooners are the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament and looking to make a statement as they push for a host seed in the NCAA tournament.

Oklahoma received a lot of big-time contributions this season and several players were honored with awards. [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag], who leads the Sooners in scoring and rebounds at 15 points and 7 rebounds a game, was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Year alongside Madison Booker of Texas. The Edmond, Okla. native at nine 20-point games in 2023-2024.

[autotag]Payton Verhulst[/autotag], who joined the Sooners after two seasons at Louisville, really came on strong in Big 12 play. Verhulst was second on the Sooners in points and rebounds. She earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors after averaging 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. In Big 12 play, Verhulst scored 15 or more seven times, including a 25-point effort against Iowa State.

Oklahoma’s spark plug, [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag], earned a Big 12 honorable mention selection. As did Sooners’ freshman [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag].

The Oklahoma Sooners really came together during conference play, where they went 15-3 and picked up big wins over No. 2 Kansas State, swept Texas, and beat Baylor in a top-25 showdown. Oklahoma will wait to see who emerges from the early stages of the Big 12 tournament but have a great shot to take home the tournament title.

How to watch, key players for No. 20 Oklahoma Women’s Basketball at Kansas Jayhawks

The Big 12 regular season women’s champs are back in action for one final regular season game and here is how you can watch them.

It is time for the country to start noticing what the Oklahoma Sooners are doing right now. They just completed the season sweep of the Texas Longhorns with a great game earlier this week.

That win also clinched them the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] regular season championship for the second season in a row. They moved to 15-2 in the conference with one game to play and them being ranked No. 20 is criminally low. If they beat the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] and aren’t top 12 next week, there should be an investigation.

I’m only kidding, kind of.

Still, there is work to be done as the Sooners don’t want to fall to a Kansas team that is 17-11 on the season and who they only beat by five in Norman earlier in the year. So, let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players.

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.

How to watch, key players for No. 23 Oklahoma Women’s Basketball vs. Oklahoma State Cowgirls

The ranked women’s team are back in action also in Bedlam and this is how you can watch the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners were able to bounce back after a tough loss to West Virginia with a good win on the road at Cincinnati. Now, they are also playing their final Bedlam game as conference foes but this time in Norman.

The Sooners won the first meeting in Stillwater 81-74. The Cowgirls come into this game losing three of their last five games but they did get a good win at home over the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] in their last game.

Oklahoma continues to have a hold on the conference as they have a one-game lead over Texas and [autotag]Kansas State.[/autotag] They currently lose the tie-breaker to Kansas State but win the tie-breaker over Texas who they will play again coming up.

But let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players for both teams.