Oklahoma Avenges Loss to Kansas, Punches Ticket to Big 12 Tournament Semifinal

KANSAS CITY — Oklahoma shook off a slow start to win its opening game of the 2022 Big 12 Tournament.

Avenging their loss to the Kansas Jayhawks from the regular season finale, a huge second quarter lifted the No. 21-ranked Sooners over the Jayhawks 80-68 to advance to Saturday’s semifinals at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Madi Williams led the way for Oklahoma, scoring a joint game-high 19 points, all while pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.

But before OU (24-7 overall, 13-6 in Big 12 play) caught fire, Kansas (20-9, 11-8) took control early.

The Jayhawks opened the game on a 13-3 run as the Sooner shooters struggled to get calibrated at Municipal Auditorium.

Needing an early spark, OU head coach Jennie Baranczyk turned to true freshman guard Kelbie Washington off the bench.

Baranczyk’s move proved to be the right one, as the Norman High School graduate immediately added five quick points, an assist and a rebound to fuel a 9-3 OU run and get the Sooners right back into the game.

"I thought Kelbie was phenomenal when we needed her to be phenomenal," Baranczyk said after the game. "... Kelbie came in, I thought she was aggressive. She does that. She has a knack of being able — she's so fast. She can set people up.

"I thought her mindset was incredible. I thought her energy was incredible."

Oklahoma rallied to cut the Kansas lead to just one point by the end of the first quarter, setting the table for a massive second period.

The Sooners knocked down 55.6 percent of their shots in the second quarter, converting 4-of-9 attempts from 3-point range, outscoring the Jayhawks 25-11 in the quarter.

"I think we were able to focus on ourselves and be the aggressors in that quarter," Williams said after the game. "We got to feel out how the game would be in the first quarter. That's what we took from that. And we were able to come out and hit them hard in the second quarter."

Taylor Robertson found her shooting stroke in the second quarter as well, scoring eight of her 19 points in the quarter.

But with their Big 12 Tournament life on the line, the Jayhawks mounted one last push in the fourth quarter.

Aniya Thomas hit dead-center 3-pointer with 5:38 left in the game to cut the Sooner lead to six points, and then Kansas got a defensive stop and had a chance to cut the lead to just two possessions.

Thomas was unable to hit the heat-check triple the next trip down the floor, and Liz Scott found Robertson cutting across the lane for a scoop layup finish to push the OU lead back to eight points.

The six-point deficit was as close as the Jayhawks would get as Baranczyk’s veteran team confidently closed the game down the stretch.

"I think we got some really good point guard play that allowed us to be steady," Williams said of OU's strong close. "And then along with me and (Robertson) being leaders on the floor, just talking to each other allows us to be steady and be able to run our offense."

A total team effort helped advance OU to Saturday in Kansas City, as nine different Sooners scored and Scott added 11 points and eight rebounds to join Williams and Robertson by scoring double-digits.

By defeating Kansas, Oklahoma won its first Big 12 Tournament game since 2016, when the Sooners topped Oklahoma State 61-43.

"First Big 12 Tournament win, it's obviously really cool," Robertson said. "We get to stay one more night. It's just really fun because the way we play, obviously winning is fun, but the way we play is just so much fun. And I'm really glad we get to play another game tomorrow."

Baranczyk said the win meant a lot to her seniors, and the joy of the win spilled over into the locker room after the game.

"Taylor did start her own "One More Night" chant after," said Baranczyk with a laugh. "Nobody picked up on it with her, but she kept going."

The win sets up a semifinal bout with the top-seeded Baylor Bears.

Oklahoma swept the Bears in the regular season, but will need a third victory to punch its ticket to Sunday’s Big 12 Championship game.

Tip-off between Oklahoma and Baylor is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday from the Municipal Auditorium, and the contest will be streamed on ESPN+.

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