Junior guard Aubrey Joens is finding her footing with the Sooners after transferring to Oklahoma from Iowa State after last season.
Joens contributed 14 points, three rebounds and two assists in Oklahoma’s 94-65 win over Robert Morris on Sunday afternoon.
“Her confidence has shined a lot in the last couple of weeks,” said senior guard Ana Llanusa, who scored 10 points with eight rebounds. “She has a quick shot. She’s a lot like Taylor (Robertson) I think and it’s hard when you have to play against two Taylor’s on the floor.”
Joens didn’t miss a shot until there was just under four minutes remaining in the game. She started the game shooting 4-for-4, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
Llanusa remembered facing Joens’ shooting prowess when Joens was with the Cyclones. She’s thankful they’re teammates now.
“Even when she was at Iowa State, she’s always been a great shooter,” Llanusa said.
Joens’ teammates have extreme confidence in her ability to shoot, but also contribute on defense.
Joens also forced a steal to help lead the Sooners to victory over the Colonials. Her hustle and effort don’t go unnoticed by her teammates.
“Something that most people don’t really notice is Aubrey is always going to get clean-up,” Llanusa said. “We call her the clean-up crew. She’s always down there rebounding and getting hustle plays. That’s been really big for us.”
Chef is a 🟢OU 22, RMU 8 | 3:50 1Q#Sooners x @AubreyJoens pic.twitter.com/cT1MryefI5
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) December 11, 2022
Here are two additional takeaways from the Sooners' win:
Sooners start hot
The Sooners came out of the gates on fire against Robert Morris.
Oklahoma shot 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the first quarter, led by Joens, who shot 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and scored eight points.
Senior guard Taylor Robertson achieved another career milestone, becoming fourth all-time in 3-pointers made in NCAA history with 466. She scored the first basket for the Sooners, a quick three-pointer with 8:56 remaining in the first quarter.
“Taylor knows when to shoot it and when she shouldn’t shoot it,” Llanusa said. “She just always knows how to make the right read and at that moment today it was the right read.”
Robertson drained her second 3-pointer of the game with six minutes remaining in the second quarter to give Oklahoma a 43-15 lead over the Colonials.
She finished the contest shooting 4-for-8 overall and 3-for-7 from 3-point range.
The Sooners finished the first half shooting 7-for-14 on 3-point attempts. They cooled off in the second half, however, finishing the win shooting 10-for-28 from the 3-point line.
𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.@T_Rob30 now is alone with the fourth most 3-pointers in NCAA history with 466! #Sooners x @MarchMadnessWBB pic.twitter.com/k3mwGEVZYI
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) December 11, 2022
OU dominates boards
Oklahoma put together a dominant performance on the boards against Robert Morris.
With 8:30 left in the third quarter, senior forward Liz Scott grabbed her seventh rebound — an offensive grab — and instantly scored. The basket gave the Sooners a 64-43 lead over the Colonials.
Scott finished the game with nine rebounds and added 14 points.
“I think Liz is one that we challenge a lot and I think she knows how to respond,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “She thrives at getting better and she wants to be really good, and sometimes it’s like today where it’s amazing.”
Llanusa agreed.
“Liz is just super hungry to get that ball,” Llanusa said. “She always ends up getting the ball because she’s working so hard to block her person out and she’s super competitive.
Llanusa and junior forward Skylar Vann, who added 10 points, both grabbed eight rebounds. As a team, the Sooners outrebounded the Colonials 58-32.
💪 she's a machine 💪@skyvannatic has 3️⃣ offensive boards and OU leads RMU 11-3 on the glass! OU 16, RMU 5 | 4:55 1Q pic.twitter.com/hBYJYs1mGt
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) December 11, 2022
The Sooners have a week off before they face Southern University at 2 p.m. on Dec. 18 at home.
