The No. 3 OU women’s basketball team is still dancing.
Sooner senior guard Nyeshia Stevenson dropped the 3-point dagger in the final seconds of overtime to clinch the 77-72 Elite Eight victory against Notre Dame.
“I think this was one of those games that can really grow the sport of women’s college basketball,” OU coach Sherri Coale said.
No. 3 OU dropped a game to the two-seeded Fighting Irish this season, but this game would be different.
Stevenson opened and closed the stat sheet for the Sooners, and she kicked things off sinking two threes in the first three minutes of action.
Notre Dame was no stranger to early success as well.
Freshman guard Skyler Diggins showed up to play for Muffet McGraw’s team Sunday evening. She had two early steals for the Fighting Irish before the first timeout, with both teams tied at 11.
Hustle Plays
Steals and rebounds were key in the first half.
Diggins tallied steals for Notre Dame, but senior forward Amanda Thompson answered for the Sooners.
Each player added two points for her respective team off an inbound steal.
Thompson finished the half with nine points and six rebounds, and Diggins almost matched Thompson on the boards with five rebounds and five points.
Back and Forth
As the clock ticked under 10 minutes, OU maintained an 18-17 lead.
But the lead would not remain constant.
The teams traded baskets through most of the later first half. With under five minutes remaining, both teams stood tied at 26.
OU finished the half leading 36-32.
The Sooners came out of the half strong, and managed to build up an eight point lead. However, the Irish fought back and took a 50-49 lead.
It’s Not Over…Yet
With under a minute to play, it was the senior Abi Olajuwon who came up with a big bucket down low to put OU ahead 66-63.
The Irish answered with the rookie.
Freshman Diggins put up a big 3-pointer to tie the game at 66, leaving OU one last chance.
Robinson held the ball for the last shot, but the Sooners never got the shot off, sending the game to overtime.
Very few points were scored in overtime, with OU leading 70-68 with 1:30 to play.
With less than a minute to play, the Sooners and Notre Dame were knotted at 70, but Stevenson broke the tie with two free throws, going up 72-70.
Notre Dame answered the free throws, tying the game again, and leaving OU with another chance to end the game.
Stevenson stepped up again knocking down a huge three to put OU ahead 75-72 with 4.4 seconds remaining.
“We had no intention of going home tonight,” Olajuwon said. “I kept saying, we have practice tomorrow.”
Notre Dame could not handle with the bomb from the inbound pass, and OU clinched victory, 77-72.
Playmakers
Stevenson was the Sooner standout in the game with 21 points on the night, most importantly knocking down a 3-point shot late in overtime.
“I just said, ‘hey, when the clock is running down, if you’re not going to take it, who is?’, so I just jumped up and shot it,” Stevenson said.
Olajuwon was solid underneath the basket in the second half, finishing the game with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
She was not the only Sooner with a double-double though.
Thompson closed out the win with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Up Next
The Sooners will attempt to break into the Final Four for the second year in a row Tuesday.
OU’s oppnonent in the Elite Eight is the winner of the game between Nebraska and Kentucky.
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matthewmurrayday 2 years, 1 month ago
I hope they fall flat on their face tomorrow night.
sooner12 2 years, 1 month ago
Correction: OU is the 3 seed, not "no. 3." Get your facts straight.