That play had to have been drawn up by Jennie. When Skylar inbounded the ball to Madi, she immediately ran straight past Madi and toward the bucket. Madi never hesitated and tossed the ball right back to the streaking Skylar for the layup. It was a thing of beauty.
Jennie talks about that play in this article. It was a beautiful play.
OU fights off upset-minded Kansas State in OT
Eric Bailey Mar 1, 2023
Oklahoma guard Skylar Vann (24) and guard Taylor Robertson (30) celebrate after beating Baylor in an NCAA college basketball game on Jan. 12, 2022, in Norman.
NORMAN – Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson wiped away a few tears shortly before the overtime portion of Wednesday night’s 90-86 win against Kansas State.
Did she have tears of joy or tears of relief? Why was OU’s star guard emotional before the critical part of the Big 12 contest?
“I was just happy that we got the game into overtime because obviously we didn’t want to lose,” Robertson said after the victory, a wide grin now displaying her emotional status. “It was a mix of happiness and also ‘all right, we got to lock back in and get ready to play.’”
The No. 16 Sooners celebrated Senior Night in thrilling style with the comeback win against the upset-minded Wildcats. OU built a 22-point lead early in the second quarter and then had to erase a four-point deficit with 28 seconds remaining to earn the triumph.
The game script ended with a joyous celebration highlighted by postgame comments from the three players who have spent either six years (Ana Llanusa) or five years (Madi Williams and Robertson) playing for the crimson-and-cream.
The game script ended with a joyous celebration highlighted by postgame comments from the three players who have spent either six years (Ana Llanusa) or five years (Madi Williams and Robertson) playing for the crimson-and-cream.
The game almost turned into a somber salute after Oklahoma blew an early 22-point second-quarter lead and had to find a way to overcome a four-point deficit in the final 28 seconds.
But this senior group helped find a way to leave the LNC with an important Big 12 victory.
Could this be their final game inside their home arena? There remains the possibility to host an NCAA Tournament regional if there is a positive outcome at OSU and a good showing in next week’s conference tournament in Kansas City.
Llanusa was asked last week about her team’s potential title run.
“It would mean a lot for the whole team, but all three of us especially. We’ve faced a lot of adversity together,” Llanusa said. “And I just think it’d be awesome to finish with that … we’ve been focusing on growing and each day being 1% better than we were the other day. I think if we focus on that, if it falls in our lap, that’d be great.”
The K-State game that seemed destined for a blowout early and developed into a late nail-biter for crimson-and-cream clad fans.
OU scored 19 unanswered points to take a 30-8 lead early in the second quarter, but had to weather a fierce K-State comeback led by a familiar face.
Gabby Gregory, a Holland Hall graduate, spent the past three seasons playing for the Sooners before transferring to Kansas State during the off-season. She scored all 16 of her points following halftime to help the visitors seize a 77-73 lead with 28 seconds in regulation.
Kansas State would miss three of four free throws from that point, opening the door for the Sooners.
The Sooners trailed 78-76 when Vann inbounded the ball to Madi Williams from the sideline. Williams returned the ball to Vann, who hit a driving layup with 1.4 seconds left to send the contest into overtime.
“There were multiple options (out of the play) and that was the first read,” Baranczyk said. “Skylar did a phenomenal job. It was a great pass. Our spacing was good.”
Even as the calendar tears off to March, there’s still teaching moments as OU heads into college basketball’s most important month.
“It’s good to have these kinds of games where you come back and you have to find a way to win and you have to find different ways to be able to do it,” the OU coach said. “And, at the same time, I think it’s a huge lesson to remember at halftime that it is 0-0.”
The Sooners led 45-29 at intermission.
“Hopefully we can learn from that,” Baranczyk said. “We were a little bit on our heels and a little too hopeful in the third quarter. We needed to do a much better job of being aggressive. They were the aggressor and we needed to be the aggressor.
“In order for us to continue to go and play as well as we were capable of playing, that’s a major lesson you’ve got to learn as we come out of this.”
Vann, who had six of the team’s dozen points in OT, finished with a team-high 23 points. Williams (19 points), Robertson (15), Liz Scott (11) and Llanusa ended in double figures.
