Sooner Magic: OU Comes Back, Holds Off FGCU in NCAA First Round

Saturday, March 23

Assembly Hall | Bloomington, Ind.

3:00 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

23-9,15-3Big 12

Florida Gulf Coast

29-5,16-0ASUN

FGCU

Oklahoma

Sooner Magic: OU Comes Back, Holds Off FGCU in NCAA First Round

March 23, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats Highlights Photo Gallery

By: OU Athletics Communications

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP)_— Skylar Vann scored 24 points and fifth-seeded Oklahoma held off No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast 73-70 in the first-round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Oklahoma (23-9, 15-3 Big 12) will face No. 4 seed Indiana (25-5) in the second round on Monday night.

Payton Verhulst gave the Sooners a 72-70 lead on a turnaround jumper in the paint with 48 seconds left. After an Eagles' turnover, Vann hit one of two free throws with 15 seconds left to push the Sooners' lead to 73-70.

Dolly Cairns 3-point shot was blocked by Vann with 3 seconds left. The Eagles got the rebound with a second left. Uju Ezeudu missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.

Sahara Williams scored 14 and Verhulst added 11 for the Sooners.

Emani Jefferson led Florida Gulf Coast (29-5) with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Jefferson was 8-of-22 from the field. Brylee Bartram scored 14 points and Cairns added 10 for the Eagles.

Oklahoma shot 45% while holding Florida Gulf Coast to 37%.

The Eagles opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers by Scott and Jefferson to take 56-53 lead. Oklahoma used a 9-0 run to take a 67-61 advantage with 2:59 remaining.

Cairns sank a 3-pointer as the Eagles scored the next seven points to regain the led.

Following a 3-pointer by Oklahoma's Aubrey Joens, Jefferson's layup tied it a 70-all. Jefferson was fouled but missed the free throw.

The Eagles led 35-33 at the half in the back-and-forth contest.

This is the third consecutive year the Eagles had been a No. 12 seed, previously beating Virginia Tech in 2022 and Washington State last year.

Notable

- Oklahoma advances to the NCAA Second Round for the third straight season under head coach Jennie Baranczyk.
- The Sooners' victory pushed the program to 19-4 all-time in first-round NCAA Championship games.
- A time and TV designations for Monday's game versus. No. 14 Indiana will be revealed on Saturday night.
- Oklahoma erased a 14-point, FGCU lead to secure OU's 15th double-digit comeback of the Baranczyk era (2021-present) and improved to 14-1 in one-possession games under the 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year.
- Vann's 24 points were her second most of the season, trailing only a 26-point outing vs. UNLV earlier this season.
- Williams' 14 points in her NCAA Championship debut were the most for an Oklahoma freshman since Shaina Pellington's 17 in 2017.