Oklahoma’s offseason emphasis of securing rebounds and scoring points in the paint paid off in Wednesday night's victory over Northwestern State.
In the No. 23 Sooners’ (6-1) 88-45 win over the Demons (2-4), senior forward Madi Williams and junior forward Skylar Vann both had double-doubles.
“It’s fun basketball, they play together well,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said of her squad. “They’re cheering louder at the end of the game than they were at the beginning.”
Williams led the team with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Williams ended the first half with 10 points and five rebounds, and her dominance continued into the second half as she ended the night with her first double-double this season.
“Playing hard and being aggressive and being the aggressor is fun and punching first is always fun,” said Williams.
Williams has scored double-digit points in 63 of her last 68 games.
.@madi_wms just wants it more! She's got 🔟 points in the 1st half!OU 34, NSU 14 | 5:58 2Q pic.twitter.com/5TDTPXoZY0
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) December 1, 2022
Freshman forward Kiersten Johnson also had another big night for the Sooners with the first double-digit performance of her young career. Johnson scored 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting and secured two rebounds and a block against the Demons.
Junior forward Skylar Vann had another huge night rebounding. Vann recorded a career-high 12 rebounds in the victory on Nov. 20 against UT Arlington. In just the first half of Wednesday’s game, she grabbed seven rebounds to help the Sooners take a 47-20 lead going into halftime.
“I think Skylar’s last few days of practice and her intensity and relentlessness has really rubbed off,” said Baranczyk. “I think she’s just going for it every single possession and so it’s fun to really be able to see her lead by example because I think it teaches everybody else.”
𝔻𝕠𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕖 the fun 🔥@madi_wms and @skyvannatic both have double-doubles tonight! #Sooners x #ONE pic.twitter.com/Uz8WvgLX84
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) December 1, 2022
Vann ended the night with 12 rebounds, tying her career-high and leading the team in rebounds for the fourth time this season. She also ended the night with her second double-double of the season with 13 points.
“I think Skylar definitely set the tone for us tonight,” said Williams. “On the boards and playing defense. She did it all.”
Joens shows out
Junior guard Aubrey Joens, an Iowa State transfer, finally made her presence known on Wednesday night.
The junior set season highs in points (13) and rebounds (11) against Northwestern State, tallied her first double-double with OU.
“I think she’s just kind of sneaky,” Baranczyk said. “I almost wish that she’d shoot the ball a little more and let it fly. I think we all do.”
Joens hit a 3-pointer with 4:26 remaining in the fourth quarter that gave her a second double-digit performance in a Sooner uniform.
Sooners’ versatile performance
Baranczyk stressed the importance of having players capable of playing multiple positions, and that showed on Wednesday.
Although Vann showed off her rebounding strength, she also hit a 3-point shot late in the fourth quarter. Same with Williams, who delivered down-low defense but also shot well from mid-range and handled the ball at times.
“I think the versatility of a lot of our players really got to come out,” Baranzyk said. “This is a perfect fit. I think they enjoy the system. I think they enjoy the way that we play because it gets to showcase that.”
Oklahoma had three players — Vann, Williams and Joens — with a double-double for the first time since the 2011 NCAA tournament against Miami.
“I think we do a tremendous job of playing to each other's strengths,” said Baranczyk. “We all have weaknesses that we can cover for each other but I think we do a better job of playing to our strengths.”
Williams and Vann are crucial to the Sooners, as they aid a frontcourt built of inexperienced or undersized players. Johnson and fellow freshman Beatrice Culliton are both are 6-foot-3 or taller, but are still developing, and senior forward Liz Scott is undersized at 6-foot-2.
“(Positional versatility) gets Madi a lot more on the perimeter than she was before and it’s the same with Skylar because we still don’t have a ton of size. They’re still getting to showcase their skill sets.”
