OU beats FGCU, advances to second round of NCAA Tournament

OU advanced to the Round of 32 for the fourth consecutive season, beating 14-seeded Florida Gulf Coast 81-58 at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.

The Sooners were led by senior Skylar Vann and junior Raegan Beers. Vann scored 24 points, going 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Beers, who was an All-SEC first-team selection this season, scored a game-high 25 points while grabbing 18 rebounds. Beers went on a 7-0 run by herself in the fourth quarter to seal the game.

“I told myself even before the game started in the locker room, I was like just play with joy, have fun,” Vann said. “I was like this could have been my last game in my college career. I just want to play with joy with my team and I think we did that, especially in that fourth quarter going on that run and we were putting each other in really good positions and just made it easy.”

As a team, OU set the NCAA Tournament record for rebounds in a game with 72, which included 23 offensive rebounds.

“A lot of missed shots. Lots, lots, of missed shots,” coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “But no, I thought, I mean, Raegan having 18 rebounds, Sahara having 10, Sky having nine and seven offensive rebounds, that’s how did you it. Scott, she tell limited time. She had foul trouble obviously but seven rebounds in her limited time that’s impressive, too.

“It was a game of pace. I think there’s part of that where both teams are really getting up and down, and I think it was a fun game for a women’s basketball fan, and so I think that was a huge part of it.”

FGCU put up a fight, though. After falling behind by 19 in the first half, Florida Gulf Coast cut the deficit to 10 at half and to just seven heading into the fourth quarter.

But thanks to big baskets by Beers and Vann down the stretch, the Sooners outscoured FGCU 36-10 in the final 10 minutes.

“I think going to that fourth quarter, especially we knew we had to pull away and the stretch where it was close with was are important that we kept pouring into each other,” Beers said. “And Jennie reminded us of that the whole game because when we pure into each other and we are playing with so much joy. It’s easier to go on those runs than when we are played frustrated, and there was a stretch where I was. And I had my teammates and coaches to pull me out of that obviously.

“But it’s important that we flip that switch and I think Skylar set the tone, obviously rebounding, and being relentless, Sahara coming in defensively and we flipped that switch. It’s fun, obviously. It’s fun basketball but definitely what we needed to do and helped us make a run when we needed to.”

Oklahoma will face Iowa in the second round on Monday with a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. Sixth-seeded Iowa beat 11-seeded Murray State 92-57 on Saturday.

For Barancyzk, Monday will be an emotional game. Not only will she be trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in her coaching career, but she will also be facing her alma mater where she is one of the most decorated players in Iowa history.

“I played them nine straight years at Drake, so I don’t have, ‘oh, this is the first time I’m going against that,’ I don’t have that,” Baranczyk said. “And quite honestly, I know those are incredible story lines and the NCAA Tournament likes to do that. But I’m so excited about this team that I get to coach here, and their resiliency, and this season that’s been an interesting season, being the first in the SEC, and being able to see what we can do on our home floor against a really good opponent in the NCAA Tournament on Monday.”

The game time for Monday’s Round of 32 matchup will be released sometime Saturday.