NORMAN — Jennie Baranczyk’s roots in Iowa run deep, but Monday’s matchup with the Hawkeyes felt particularly personal for another Sooner.
That’d be Iowa native Sahara Williams.
The Sooner forward was outstanding in the first half from every area of the floor. She led the Sooners in points (13) and rebounds (7) at halftime while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor, including a 3-pointer. She was particularly effective on the glass, grabbing as many offensive rebounds (4) as the entire Iowa team.
Her first half was the biggest reason why the Sooners led by 11 points at halftime, and that lead proved too big for the Hawkeyes to overcome. The Sooners coasted to a 96-62 win in the Round of 32 at the Lloyd Noble Center, advancing them to the Sweet 16.
It’s the first Sweet 16 berth for the Sooners since 2013 and the first under fourth-year coach Jennie Baranczyk.
Williams’ first-half was outburst given the way the Sooners started the game. They trailed Iowa 10-4 early, as Reagan Beers and Skylar Vann dealt with foul trouble that limited them both to just 13 total minutes each in the first half.
But the game started to turn in the middle of the first quarter. The Sooners ended the quarter on a 16-1 run fueled by eight points from Williams and four points each from Zya Vann and Liz Scott, as they took a 20-11 lead.
The Sooners built that lead in the second quarter despite shooting a poor 37% from the floor and 12% from the 3-point line. The Sooners beat the Hawkeyes up on the interior, boasting a 31-21 advantage in the rebounding battle, a 13-4 advantage on the offensive glass and a 26-8 advantage in points in the paint. They also won the turnover battle 12-6.
While Williams owned the first half, her teammates caught fire in the second half. Vann scored 15 of her 17 points after halftime while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor, including 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. Payton Verhulst added 14 second-half points, and Beers grabbed 10 rebounds after halftime.
Vann, in her final home game as a Sooner, finished with a team-high 17 points. Verhulst added 16, while Scott and Zya Vann added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Beers added 11 points and 13 rebounds.
With the win, the Sooners improve to 27-7 on the season. They’ll head to Spokane, Washington to play either No. 2-seed UConn or No. 10-seed South Dakota on Saturday in the Sweet 16.
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