Williams Hits 2,000 Points, Sooners Cruise By Southern

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Williams Hits 2,000 Points, Sooners Cruise By Southern

December 18, 2022 | Women's Basketball

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By: OU Athletics Communications

NORMAN – Behind another stout defensive performance, No. 24 Oklahoma extended its winning streak to six games after a 76-50 victory over Southern at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman on Sunday.

In Oklahoma's (9-1, 0-0 Big 12) final home game of 2022, redshirt senior Madi Williams became the eighth Sooner all-time to eclipse 2,000 career points as the forward joined teammate Taylor Robertson in the 2,000-point club to make OU the only team in the country with a pair of 2,000-point scorers.

"There were some great things that we did today," head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. "I know that people might look at the turnover column, but I think we played really well. Credit to Southern for playing so hard – they've been on the road a ton and just keep playing hard."

The Sooners got into a battle early with Southern (3-8, 0-0 SWAC), with a late first-quarter stop needed to preserve a 20-19 lead after 10 minutes. But the tide began to turn in the second quarter where Oklahoma held the Jags to just 27% shooting to win the frame 15-9 and take a 35-28 lead into the break. The Sooners made their halftime adjustments, and an 11-3 run to open the second half blew the game open as Southern made just four shots in the third quarter as the OU lead ballooned to 16 points entering the fourth quarter. Led by Aubrey Joens' five points and six rebounds in the final frame, the Sooners opened up a 29-point lead with 1:12 left in the contest and cruised to a 26-point, 76-50 win.

Madi Williams' final bucket of the first half pushed her to 2,000 points, and the Fort Worth, Texas, product led the way with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the effort. Fellow redshirt senior Ana Llanusa notched her fourth straight game of 10-plus points with a 14-point output on 5-of-7 shooting. Liz Scott dominated the game on both ends of the floor, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds and adding eight points with two assists, narrowly missing her third career double-double.

The Sooners improved to 7-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent as Baranczyk's team won the battle of the boards, 54-26. Oklahoma, the Big 12's top rebounding team, has posted an average rebounding margin of 27.3 over the last four games. In addition, Oklahoma shot a blistering 49% on the day, scoring 42 points in the paint compared to Southern's 14 paint points.

Oklahoma will close its non-conference slate in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 21, vs. Florida at the inaugural Jumpman Invitational.

"I'm excited for this next game," Baranczyk added. "We're going to have all these things that can distract us, with all these teams there and who knows if Michael Jordan will be there, but I'm excited to see how our team keeps the game simple."

The game tips at 8:30 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN2. The Sooners are 2-0 under Baranczyk vs. SEC teams; notching wins over Mississippi State in 2021 and Ole Miss this season.