Tag: Taylor Robertson

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.

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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Juniors Skylar Vann and Aubrey Joens give Sooners a boost off the bench

Juniors Skylar Vann and Aubrey Joens give the Sooners a boost off the bench in Oklahoma’s win over TCU in the Big 12 tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners will be losing three important pieces after the season is complete. [autotag]Madi Wiliams[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag], and [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag] have one more opportunity to take Oklahoma on a deep postseason run.

Those three have been key to the Sooners’ 2022-2023 season. But last night’s win over TCU put on display what life will look like without their three seniors.

[autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag] came up clutch again, pouring in 21 points off the bench, including the game-winner in the final seconds. Also playing in a reserve role, [autotag]Aubrey Joens[/autotag], the Iowa State transfer, chipped in 15 points for the Sooners.

After the Sooners fell behind in the first quarter, Joens contributed 10 points in the second on 4 of 4 shooting, including 2 of 2 from three. That gave the Sooners the boost they needed to turn a three-point first quarter deficit into a five-point halftime lead.

The fourth quarter has become Skylar Vann time in recent weeks, and she came through again in the win over TCU. Vann was 5 of 6 from the field (her only miss a deep three), and was dominant in the paint. 10 of her 21 points came in the fourth, with all 10 points coming in the final 6:31 of the game. Vann scored each of Oklahoma’s final six points to get the win.

“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.”

Clutchness defined.

Vann and Joens combined for 36 points in the win. Oklahoma’s starting five scored just 32 points. They’re only juniors. Key pieces to the Sooners rotation this season, they’ll take on even bigger roles next year with talent leaving Norman.

The Sooners have a deep roster. Several players that can fill up the box score. They needed every bit of what Skylar Vann and Aubrey Joens provided off the bench on Friday night. For the Sooners to win the Big 12 tournament and go deep in the NCAA tournament, Vann and Joens will have to continue to provide a spark off the bench.

And everytime they check into the game, the Sooners display they’ll be in great hands even as they lose their talented group of seniors.

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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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 moving up in ESPN’s latest Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracketology

After wins on the road over Baylor and Kansas State, the Sooners are on the verge of hosting the first two rounds of the Women’s NCAA Tournament per ESPN’s latest Bracketology.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ win a week ago in Waco was something special. Down five with less than 30 seconds to play in regulation, the Sooners got huge buckets from [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] to tie the game and force overtime.

In the extra five minutes, the Sooners battled with Baylor to come out on top in a place they hadn’t won back-to-back games since 2006-2007. It was a defining moment for this Oklahoma Sooners squad.

In just her second year at the helm, [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] has her squad playing phenomenal basketball. At 20-4 and 10-3 in the Big 12 and boasting the second-best offense in the country, the Sooners have a chance to make a lot of noise come March. And they’re on the verge of hosting in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

In ESPN’s latest Women’s Bracketology for the NCAA tournament, Charlie Creme has the Sooners as a five seed in Chapel Hill. Oklahoma, and would play the winner of the 12-seed play-in game between Nebraska and Mississippi State. On the other side of the Chapel Hill bracket, it would be North Carolina vs. Green Bay.

As for Texas, who’s one game ahead of Oklahoma in the Big 12 standings, they’re a four-seed and would be the hosts of the first two rounds of the tournament in Austin.

If the Sooners can finish the regular season strong and go on a run in Big 12 tournament play, hosting the start of the NCAA tournament is not out of the question.

That would be a huge feather in the cap of Jennie Baranczyk and the Oklahoma Sooners Women’s basketball program.

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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 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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