Oklahoma Knocks off Tennessee to Bolster Chances of Hosting in NCAA Tournament

NORMAN — Raegan Beers had a fairly quiet first half offensively Sunday against No. 21 Tennessee at Lloyd Noble Center.

But Beers' game spoke loudly when Oklahoma needed it most.

Beers scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half to lift the No. 11 Sooners to a 100-93 win over the Lady Vols.

The Sooners' 100 points were the most against Tennessee since Auburn scored 102 against the Lady Vols in March 1987 and the most points ever against Tennessee in a regular-season game.

Five of Beers' points came during Oklahoma's 16-7 third-quarter run that put Oklahoma ahead for good.

Half of the Sooners' points during the stretch came from the free-throw line.

Oklahoma (21-6, 9-5 SEC) has won four consecutive games — the last three against ranked opponents.

Aaliyah Chavez was strong in the second half as well, with 12 of her 21 points after the break.

Sahara Williams was steady throughout, finishing with 22 points to tie a season high.

Beers also finished with 18 rebounds.

Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk credited Williams' play with opening things up for Beers in the second half.

"I think she went in and demanded the ball and demanded it to get in there," Baranczyk said of Williams. "So when she was, especially in that high-post area, I thought she did a really nice job of being able to attack that and she either scored or she passed or she looked for her (Beers) and I think that's really what created a lot more opportunities for Raegan."

It still wasn't easy, as the Lady Vols trimmed what was a nine-point Sooners lead to three in the final 35 seconds.

But the Sooners finished things off on the free-throw line to put the game away.

There were a few moments in the first half when Tennessee looked like it had a chance to run away with the game.

The Lady Vols pushed the lead near double digits on a couple of occassions, but each time, the Sooners quickly cut into the deficit to remain within striking distance.

Oklahoma took a big dose of momentum into halftime, when Chavez drained a 3-pointer to tie it in the final minute, then the Sooners forced a turnover and Williams drove through the lane for a layup with 11 seconds remaining to send OU into the break with a 47-45 lead.

After playing eight of their last 11 games against ranked opponents, the Sooners' schedule gets significantly lighter to close the regular season.

OU will host Arkansas on Thursday and finish the regular season at Missouri on March 1.

Entering Sunday, those two teams had a combined 4-22 SEC record, with the Razorbacks standing at 0-13 in conference play.

Here are three more takeaways from Sunday's win:

Jennie Baranczyk Marvels at Record

There were a lot of things Baranczyk wished her team did differently Sunday.

Tennessee's 93 points were the second-most scored by an Oklahoma opponent in regulation this season and the Lady Vols 33 free-throw attempts were tied for the most against the Sooners this season.

But Baranczyk was a bit stunned when informed her team's 100 points were the most ever against Tennessee in a regular-season game.

"Wow," Baranczyk said. "... That program was one that was, when I was growing up, that was one of the only programs you could watch. So you watched Pat Summitt and I never really knew her. I've had conversations with her but I didn't really know her. To be able to watch what she did as a mom, as a coach, as a fierce competitor, as a strong woman, it was really — when you're a kid you kind of look at that and you're like, 'Oh, people can do that.' So I think if I put my kid glasses on, 'Wow.'

"And then when you put your coach glasses on, you go to some different things on the stat sheet but also, 'Wow.' It's still pretty cool."

The only teams to score more against Tennessee were Auburn in the SEC Tournament semifinals in 1987 and Louisiana Tech in the AIAW Final Four in 1979. Both of those teams scored 102 against the Lady Vols.

Oklahoma Dominates the Glass

The Sooners won the rebounding battle 47-34, with 22 of those rebounds coming on the offensive side.

Beers led the way with 18 while Williams added nine.

Seven of Beers' rebounds and six of Williams' came on the offensive end, as the Sooners' scored 22 second-chance points.

The offensive rebounded total included a critical offensive board by Williams in the final 30 seconds off a Zya Vann missed free throw.

The Sooners were up five when Williams pulled down the board, then extended the lead to seven moments later with Payton Verhulst's two free throws on the possession.

NCAA Tournament Implications

Entering the day, ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme had the Sooners as a No. 5 seed, which would mean heading on the road for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

But Creme had a pair of SEC teams — Kentucky and Ole Miss — as No. 4 seeds, leaving plent of opportunity for Oklahoma to move up. Creme had Tennessee as a No. 6 seed.

So Sunday's game figured to be key for both teams' NCAA Tournament fates.

The Sooners' win figures to go a long way toward helping them move into position to host the first two rounds, especially given Ole Miss' 85-48 loss at No. 3 South Carolina on Sunday.

Creme said during the broadcast that an OU win would lift the Sooners into a spot as a No. 4 seed.

The NCAA Tournament selection committee had the Sooners as the No. 16 overall seed during their initial reveal Feb. 14.

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Jennie Baranczyk Marvels at Record

Oklahoma Dominates the Glass

NCAA Tournament Implications