Tag: Skylar Vann

Sooners top TCU on Skylar Vann score in final seconds, advance in Big 12 tournament

Skylar Vann’s bucket with just seconds remaining gave the Oklahoma Sooners a 77-76 win over TCU to advance in the Big 12 tournament.

[autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] has been clutch for the Oklahoma Sooners in recent games, such as the Sooners’ win over Kansas State last week. The Big 12 sixth player of the year came through again in crunch time for Oklahoma to beat the TCU Horned Frogs in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

Trailing by one after TCU’s Lucy Ibeh put the Horned Frogs ahead with a layup of her own, the Sooners had one last chance to move on. Inbounding with 4.8 seconds on the clock, [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] found Vann deep in the paint. With a crisp pass and a clean catch, Vann used her strong post game to score with the left hand to give the Sooners the 77-76 win.

Vann led the Sooners with 21 points off the bench in 19 minutes. She was 9 of 13 from the field and provided Oklahoma’s final six points in the game.

TCU started the game strong, looking to upset the Big 12 regular season champion. The Horned Frogs opened up a 10-point lead midway through the first quarter, but the Sooners closed the opening frame on a 15-8 run to trail by only three heading into the second.

The Sooners were fantastic in the second, taking control of the game, outscoring TCU 16-8. Oklahoma continued their strong play in the third, taking an 11-point lead with five minutes to go in the third.

TCU battled back in the fourth to put the pressure on the Sooners. Oklahoma led by three with just over a minute to play, but TCU’s Ibeh hit consecutive layups to give the Horned Frogs the lead, setting the stage for Skylar Vann’s heroics.

“You’ve got to be willing to take that shot,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said after the win. “You’ve got to be willing to make it. You’ve got to be willing to miss it. You’ve got to be willing to pay the consequences. Sky is. You can see that in her eyes that she wants that.”

And she’s wanted to be in those moments, and Vann has come through in those moments down the stretch. She’s proven to be a big-time player that can come through in big-time moments.

Taylor Robertson was 5 of 6 from three and scored 17 points, and Aubrey Joens scored 15 off the bench to help support an incredible effort from Vann. The Sooners now get set to face the Iowa State Cyclones, who topped the Baylor Bears. The game is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m. C.T.

Here’s a look at how social media reacted to the Sooners’ win.

Big second half propels Oklahoma Sooners to Bedlam win, share of Big 12 championship

Oklahoma Sooners use a big second half to beat the Oklahoma State Cowgirls 80-71 and earn Big 12 regular season title.

For the first time since 2009, the Oklahoma Sooners are Big 12 regular season champions after their comeback win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Sooners went into halftime down six points after the Cowgirls outscored Oklahoma 25-15 in the second quarter.

Oklahoma State held a lead for much of the third quarter. However, the Sooners continued to plug away and broke through for their first lead in the half when [autotag]Beatrice Culliton[/autotag]’s layup put them up for good with just under three minutes to play.

The Sooners outscored their Bedlam rivals 24-10 to take a 10-point lead going into the fourth. And the Sooners never allowed Oklahoma State to get closer than five points through the fourth quarter.

With the win, the Oklahoma Sooners claim at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title. This is their first Big 12 title since 2009. Oklahoma is 24-5 and 14-4 in the Big 12.

In what could be her final Bedlam game, [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] led the way with 15 points and six assists on 4 of 11 shooting. [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] had 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Culliton dropped 11 points to go with six rebounds in a reserve role as well.

The Sooners now wait on the result of the outcome of the Texas Longhorns matchup with Kansas State. If Texas wins, they’ll be tied atop the Big 12 standings and will share the regular season title. However, Texas will take the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament as a result of their two wins during the season.

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Sooners clutch in crunch time, share first place with Texas Longhorns

After surviving an upset bid from Kansas State, the Oklahoma Sooners are back in a first-place tie with the Texas Longhorns with one game remaining.

In a game that seemed to be going one way after the first 10 minutes, in the second half, it went the other way.

Like another dominant offense on campus, Oklahoma led by as many as 22 and took a 16-point lead into halftime, and the Kansas State Wildcats seemed to take that personally.

The Wildcats defense held the Sooners’ No. 2 ranked offense in check in the third quarter. Gabby Gregory was on fire from three, hitting four shots from behind the arc in the first six minutes of the third to cut into the Sooners’ lead.

By the time the third quarter came to a close, Kansas State had outscored the Sooners 28-13 and were down just one heading into the fourth.

The rest of the game would be a tight, back-and-forth affair. Just when it looked like the Sooners were going to reassert their first-quarter dominance, the Kansas State defense would frustrate Oklahoma and help them get back into the game.

Down late, it looked like the upset was on the horizon for Oklahoma. However, some strong time-out usage by [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag], missed foul shots from Kansas State, and a clutch layup from [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] got Oklahoma to overtime, where they were able to take control of the ball game.

With the win and Texas‘ loss to Baylor on Monday, the Red River Rivals are back in a tie for first place in the Big 12. A win over Oklahoma State in Bedlam and a Texas loss would give the Sooners their first Big 12 regular season title since 2009. Texas will take on this same Kansas State team on Saturday to close the regular season.

 

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 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 Sooners vs. BYU Cougars: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Tuesday

Oklahoma Sooners women go on the road for their first trip of the season to take on the BYU Cougars. Here’s how you can tune in. From @john9williams

The Oklahoma Sooner (2-0) play the BYU Cougars (0-2) on Tuesday afternoon, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

After a tough shooting night in their season-opening win against Oral Roberts, the Oklahoma Sooners bounced back, hitting 60% of their shots from three. Madi Williams has been great to start the season for the Sooners, averaging 22 points per game and shooting 65% from the field and 75% from three-point range. She’s done that in just over 24 minutes per game.

Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk is going deep into the bench this season, playing as many as 11 players an average of 9.5 minutes per game.

Coming off of back-to-back 100-assist seasons, Neveah Tot’s filling up the box score and currently averaging career-best numbers across the board. Through two games, Tot’s at 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game for the 2-0 Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners will take on a BYU team that’s 0-2 but has four players averaging double-figures on the season. They don’t play a lot of players. They’ve got four players averaging 30 minutes or more per game and five at 25 minutes or more per game.

The Cougars have lost Colorado State by 20 and Montana State by nine to start the season and hope to rebound at home against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

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Oklahoma Sooners at BYU Cougars injury report:

None to report

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Players to watch:

Oklahoma

[autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag], PF: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists.

[autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag], G: 15 points, 7.5 rebounds.

[autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag], G: 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists.

[autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag], G: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists.

BYU

Nani Falatea, G: 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists.

Arielle Mackey-Williams, G: 12.5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist.

Lauren Gustin, F: 12 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists.

Kaylee Smiler, G: 12.5 points, 3 assists, 1 block.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Sooners have a field day on Field Trip Day in 97-74 win over SMU

Madi Williams led the way with 25 points, and the Sooners shot 60% from three in Oklahoma’s 97-74 win over the SMU Mustangs. From @john9williams

SMU took an early 5-2 lead on a three-pointer from Jasmine Smith in the early going of Oklahoma’s mid-morning showdown with the Mustangs. And that was about all the momentum the Sooners allowed on Friday as they rolled to a 23-point win over SMU 97-74 during Field Trip Day in Norman.

Madi Williams led the way with 25 points and five rebounds on 10 of 14 from the field and 3 of 3 from three-point range. Oklahoma had four players in double figures and 10 of 11 players scored in the win.

Junior Neveah Tot, Aubrey Jones, and Skylar Vann were the other Sooners in double figures. Jones led the bench with 17 minutes, and Vann played 13 minutes in reserve for the 2-0 Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners are going to be incredibly tough to beat if they shoot the way they did on Friday morning. From the field, the Sooners shot 52.3% and were even better from three, where they were 14 of 23 for 60.9% from downtown.

It was just a 10-point game late in the third quarter when Madi Williams hit a three to make it 72-59. Early in the fourth, Skylar Vann added a three of her own to make it 78-59 and the Sooners cruised from there, leading by as many as 23 points with under six minutes to play.

Oklahoma held SMU to 34.9% from the field and 25% from three. The Sooners forced 18 turnovers in the win providing a complete performance at both ends of the floor.

Oklahoma is now averaging 101 points per game through their first two contests. After hitting just nine of 29 three-point attempts in the season-opening win over Oral Roberts, Oklahoma bounced back in a big way against SMU. And that was with Taylor Robertson taking just five shots in the win over SMU.

The Oklahoma Sooners now prepare for their first road trip of the season to take on future Big 12 opponent BYU in Provo on Tuesday. BYU opened the season with an 82-62 loss at Colorado State.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament: Stream, injury report and broadcast

Here’s how you can check out the action between the Oklahoma Sooners and Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the NCAA Tournament.

After a strong performance against IUPUI in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Oklahoma Women’s basketball team will face a tough test from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. With four players averaging double-figures in points, the Sooners will have to be on guard to slow down the Irish offense.

The Sooners got fantastic performances from Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson, who each scored 20 points in the opening round win over IUPUI. This is the furthest the Sooners have advanced in the NCAA Tournament since 2017. If they can knock off Notre Dame tonight at the Lloyd Noble Center, they’ll advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.

For Notre Dame, they knocked off UMass in the opening round of the tournament behind Olivia Miles triple double. Like Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk, it was the first win for Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey in her tenure with the Irish.

How to Watch

  • Date: March 21
  • Time: 5 p.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN2
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Injury Report

Oklahoma

Skylar Vann: probable (leg)

Notre Dame

N/A

Players to watch

Oklahoma

Madi Williams: 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals per game.

Taylor Robertson: 17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals per game.

Skylar Vann: 11.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game

Notre Dame

Olivia Miles: 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 steals per game.

Maya Dodson: 12.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.7 blocks per game.

Maddy Westbeld: 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals per game.

Sonia Citron: 11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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