Lexy Keys stood open on the 3-point line as senior forward Skylar Vann got an offensive rebound and dished her the ball with seconds remaining.
As the clock wound down and the ball glided through the air, head coach Jennie Baranczyk, along with the rest of the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, froze.
A shot we'll remember forever. pic.twitter.com/fs0bUr6Yva
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) February 29, 2024
This was the shot that would define Keys’ season, and potentially the senior’s career, but during the 39 minutes prior to that moment, the guard had to fight for every possession.
Keys had gone 5 of 11 from the floor before her game-winning 3-pointer against No. 3 Texas and had been an important part of OU coming back from multiple double-digit deficits, but it would be her final shot that would matter most.
With 26 seconds to go, Oklahoma looked down a two-point Longhorn lead, and as the Sooners rallied after failing to convert on back-to-back offensive possessions, the guard finally found the shot they had been looking for.
The ball ripped through the net, sending the Sooners, Baranczyk and the rest of Lloyd Noble Center back into motion.
The Big 12 runs red! #BoomerSooner ☝️ pic.twitter.com/5vhF1tFfuu
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) February 29, 2024
With 4.5 seconds remaining, Texas’ freshman forward Madison Booker was double-teamed and tried to get a shot off, but failed, handing OU its second consecutive Big 12 regular season title.
The buzzer sounded and a tearful Skylar Vann, alongside the rest of her teammates, celebrated in the same way they had done everything else this season — together.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Keys said after the win. “There was a lot of excitement, honestly. We battled together as a team. This whole season has been about ourselves, growing, being connected and we were so connected today.”
Senior guard Lexy Keys during the game against Texas on Feb 28.
However, a year ago Keys was in a completely different place, with a totally different team and could not have envisioned that this is where she would be.
Last season, the guard played for OU’s in-state and Big 12 rival Oklahoma State, but upon her arrival to Norman, Keys, who played three seasons for the Cowgirls and started all 32 games last year, became an immediate starter and has proven to be a playmaker for the Sooners.
The senior has averaged 8.4 points a game this season and had already accomplished several milestones this year, including reaching 1,000 career points against Cincinnati on Feb. 20, before hitting the game-winner on Wednesday.
Despite being an integral part of OU’s program and being the deciding factor in its win over a ranked Texas team, Keys didn’t come to Oklahoma just to make winning shots and win regular season titles, instead, she wanted to be a part of a legacy.
“I don’t think any of us transferred to win the Big 12,” Keys said. “The tradition here is amazing and everyone knows that. This program is amazing. Playing against them (at Oklahoma State), I knew that going into it.”
Both OU’s team and Keys’ life have changed drastically in the last 365 days, but through grit, perseverance and a last-second shot, they have navigated a slow start to the season and turned it into a first-place finish in the Big 12.
“We just continue as a team to keep playing hard,” Keys said postgame. “We’ve been talking about it in practice, just ‘finish plays, finish plays.’ That was a gutsy win on everyone’s part … They were just giving me confidence to just keep shooting.”
Next, No. 20 Oklahoma (21-7, 15-2 Big 12) plays its last regular season game against Kansas (17-11, 10-7 Big 12) at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lawrence on ESPN+.
