No.11 OU women’s basketball (21-6, 9-5 SEC) defeated No. 21 Tennessee (16-10, 8-6 SEC) 100-93 in its annual pink-out sport at Lloyd Noble Center on Sunday.
Head coach Jennie Baranczyk’s group has reversed the narrative surrounding its skill to go toe-to-toe with high groups, incomes one other ranked win to enhance its document in opposition to AP Top 25 opponents to 5-6, up from 2-6 only a week prior.
“I honestly believe that this team decided a long time ago not to feel sorry for ourselves and just to focus on getting better, and I think that’s what you can see,” Baranczyk mentioned. “We’re getting this amazing experience. Every single player has made really big plays.”
The Sooners took benefit of a possibility to reclaim a possible first-round sport within the NCAA Tournament after No. 17 Mississippi (21-8, 8-6 SEC) took a 37-point blow from No. 3 South Carolina (27-2, 13-1 SEC) moments earlier than tipoff of Sunday’s sport. ESPN’s latest Bracketology, launched on Feb. 20, noticed the Sooners slide right down to a No. 5 seed, dropping their dwelling court docket rights to Mississippi, which took the No. 4 seed in Region One.
OU now sits on a four-game profitable streak, with the final three coming in opposition to Top 25 opponents, and has two regular-season video games remaining in opposition to unranked opponents. The momentum constructed over the previous week has created the proper recipe for the Sooners to hold that surge into March, eyeing a deep run within the SEC Tournament and an NCAA Tournament dwelling opener upon their return from Greenville.
“Every game is important in the SEC,” senior middle Raegan Beers mentioned. “We’re fighting to get a good spot in the tournament, obviously. Both the SEC tournament and March Madness tournament, we’re still fighting for that. So we’ve got two more games to take care of business.”
Beers delivered essentially the most impactful efficiency of the night time, bouncing again after a relatively tame night time in opposition to No. 24 Georgia on Feb. 19, the place she had simply eight factors and 5 rebounds. Beers poured in 18 factors and picked up 18 rebounds in opposition to the Lady Volunteers, asserting her dominance within the paint.
“(Beers) just has so much heart,” Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell mentioned. “She continues to go right back up … It takes multiple people to get on her, and I think that’s what makes this team so good. If you put two people on her, they have somebody else.”
Beers wasn’t alone in her effort as freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez and junior ahead Sahara Williams teamed up along with her to kind a three-person power alongside Beers. Chavez adopted her 27-point efficiency in opposition to Georgia with 21 in opposition to Tennessee, whereas Williams led the staff in scoring and tied her season excessive with 22. Each of the beginning 5 scored no less than 15 factors to assist the Sooners cruise to victory and achieve one other resume-building win.
Next, OU hosts Arkansas (11-18, 0-14 SEC) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Lloyd Noble Center on the SEC Network.
This story was edited by Laurie Jones.