Oklahoma Takes Down No. 16 BYU

It took overtime, but the Sooners rode a hot-shooting team performance and more clutch plays from Madi Williams to score the upset.

John E. Hoover | Dec 10, 2021

Oklahoma blew a seven point lead in the final 4 1/2 minus, then scored the last 11 points of overtime to upset No. 16 BYU on Friday night at Lloyd Noble Center.

"It was such a fun game and I'm so proud of our team," coach Jennie Baranczyk said. "From a grit standpoint, I could not be prouder of our team. BYU is a very, very good basketball team and they played well. Honestly, I am kind of speechless after watching some of those performances."

After the Sooners fell behind by 10 in the sexond quarter and struggled down the stretch in regulation — BYU made two 3s in the final 1:45 to take the lead — Skylar Vann hit the game-tying bucket on an assist by Madi Williams with 49 seconds left.

Neither team could score again, but the Sooners opened things up late in OT.

It was Williams’ 3 that put OU in front for the final time, 93-91, with 1:10 to play in the extra period.

Kennady Tucker made a bucket and Taylor Robertson hit four free throws as the Sooner defense clamped down.

OU improved to 9-1, while No. 16-ranked BYU lost for the first time to drop to 8-1.

BYU’s Tegan Graham hit a school-record 10 shot from 3-point range (10-of-16) and finished with 30 points.

But Graham only got up two 3-pointers in the OT as the Cougars went scoreless over the final 2:47.

Williams scored 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds, and Robertson poured in 23 on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

As a team, the Sooners shot 13-of-29 from beyond the arc. OU also outrebounded the Cougars 56-45 and overcame 23 turnovers. Oklahoma stayed hot offensively with 42.5-percent shooting from the floor and 44.8-percent shooting from the perimeter.

Tucker and Neveah Tot each scored 11.

OU senior Ana Llanusa played just 13 minutes and went down with an undisclosed injury. Baranczyk said she wasn't sure of the severity.

"We're gonna hope for the best, we're gonna pray for the best," Baranczyk said, "but we don't know."

Published Dec 10, 2021

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.