'We were just being us': How OU roared past Portland in NCAA Tournament opener
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LOS ANGELES — A common question when watching any sport when a team plays more successfully in the second half is what changes were made.
Was it a fiery speech — think Knute Rockne or Vince Lombardi — or change in plans or plays? Maybe it was playing a different defense or new offensive plays?
Oklahoma women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk doesn’t think there is much a coach can do.
“It’s up to the players,” the second-year OU coach said. “A coach can change matchups, but the players do it.”
The fifth-seeded Sooners overcame a lackluster second quarter, handling the ball better, putting a 13-4 run together in the third period to move to an 85-63 victory over 12th-seeded Portland on Saturday night in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Pauley Pavilion.
Oklahoma (26-6) will play fourth-seeded UCLA on Monday night for a shot at its first Sweet 16 since 2013. The Bruins defeated Sacramento State 67-45 in Saturday night's late game.
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“I think they just look in the mirror and know they have to do better,” Baranczyk said. “The look on their faces when they came out in the second half showed determination. The energy and intensity changed.”
During the 13-4 streak, the Sooners were more aggressive on defense and offense. One highlight was 5-foot-3 junior guard Nevaeh Tot ripping the ball from a Portland player’s hands and driving more than half of the court for a lay up which lifted the Sooners to a 49-38 lead over the Pilots (23-9) with 6:12 remaining in the third period.
“We were just being us,” said senior Taylor Robertson, a 6-foot redshirt senior who has the most 3-point goals in NCAA history. “We got more steady as we went along.”
Robertson and Aubrey Joens led the Sooners’ balanced offense with 14 points each. Madi Williams added 13, while Skylar Vann and Ana Llanusa each had 11 points. Vann also had 11 rebounds.
Liz Scott led OU with 12 rebounds, including seven of the team’s 20 offensive rebounds. That was one more than Portland had under their defensive boards, and 24 of the Sooners' points came from second chances.
Madison struggled in the second half. She was held scoreless and missed all seven of her shots after making 5-of-7 in the first half.
“You can never be too satisfied,” she said.
Madison and Robertson were singled out for praise in Baranczyk’s post-game comments.
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“A transition is always hard when a new coach comes in,” Baranczyk said. “They stayed and they really care about Oklahoma.”
Portland’s Alex Fowler, an Australian native, led all scorers with 18 points. Her fellow Australian Emme Shearer and Lucy Cochrane each added 12 points. It is uncertain if Fowler will return for next year.
“I want to take a rest from basketball and see what I will do,” Fowler said. “They (Oklahoma) have a lot of experience and they really pounded us on rebounds.”
What Shearer noticed was the speed of OU.
“In our conference (the West Coast Conference) there are only a couple of teams which are that fast,” Shearer said. “They have the ability to clog up space.”
One point which may have been a turning point was when the Portland bench was assessed a technical foul with 8:16 remaining in the third quarter. Robertson made both shots to start their 13-4 streak in the third quarter.
“I don’t want to get into what the referee said, but I apologized to our team,” Portland coach Michael Meek said. It was Portland's first trip to the Division I tournament. “Maybe I could have done more for our team, but I am grateful to our players and the support we received from the university.”
As for the plan for Monday’s clash against UCLA, that is yet to be determined.
“I’ve spent all of my time this week preparing for Portland,” Baranczyk said. “I’ll have to figure that (a game plan against UCLA) out tonight. The one thing you have to do against a team on their home floor is to take care of the ball.”
More:'She feels it for her state': How Skylar Vann came to embrace bench role for Sooners
How to watch OU vs. UCLA in NCAA Tournament
TIPOFF: 9 p.m. Monday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles (ESPN2)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Sooners beat Portland Pilots to advance in NCAA Tournament
