Oklahoma torches Iowa on the glass, advances to the Sweet 16, 96-62

NORMAN, Okla. — Iowa won a lot of women’s basketball games this season, lost a few, and was competitive in all.

Until Monday.

“We picked a bad day to have a bad day,” Coach Jan Jensen said after the Hawkeyes absorbed a 96-62 beating from 11th-ranked Oklahoma in an NCAA second-round game before a crowd of 8,138 at Lloyd Noble Center.

Oklahoma (27-7) torched the Hawkeyes on the glass to the tune of a 64-33 rebounding advantage, including 24 on the offensive end.

You could call it an O-board-O-rama.

“It was a big problem,” Hannah Stuelke said after the Hawkeyes concluded the season at 23-11.

“They were an amazing rebounding team. I know I could have boxed out better.”

Kylie Feuerbach added, “They did a great job positioning. We knew boxouts and rebounds were going to be important.”

And in the Hawkeyes’ case, they were elusive.

The Sooners advance to the Spokane-4 regional semifinal, and will face No. 3 Connecticut or South Dakota on Saturday (time TBA) at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

It is OU’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013, its first under Coach Jennie Baranczyk.

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“This is one of those validation (moments),” said Baranczyk, who played at Iowa from 2000 through 2004. “When you play with joy, this can happen.”

The Sooners played with joy, and they played with ferocity. That combination was too much for Iowa, which hadn’t lost a game by more than 10 points all season, until Monday.

Waterloo native Sahara Williams (16 points, 13 in the first half) was Oklahoma’s engine early, as the Sooners quickly took control.

“I’ve been on the other side of this, and it’s no fun,” Williams said. “This was a day that we couldn’t take for granted.”

Iowa got out to a 10-4 lead, but then the Sooners began to own the glass, and flipped the game. Oklahoma closed the first quarter with a 16-1 run and a 20-11 lead.

It never got any better for the Hawkeyes. OU led 38-27 at halftime, 68-43 after a 30-point third quarter.

The largest margin was 37, on two occasions.

Williams was one of six Sooners to reach double-figures. Skylar Vann led with 17.

“They were bigger, faster, stronger,” Jensen said. “They come out there with those big bodies, and you can’t stop them or slow them. You’ve got to score with them.”

Oklahoma scored 58 second-half points, and the Hawkeyes couldn’t keep pace. Rebounds were a killer. So were turnovers (20).

Lucy Olsen led Iowa with 20 points. Feuerbach added 14, Stuelke 10.

Olsen played one season with the Hawkeyes after three at Villanova. She wore the black and gold for the final time, as did seniors Sydney Affolter, Addison O’Grady and A.J. Ediger.

“I’m super-grateful to have gotten to play here,” Olsen said. “There were ups and downs, but everybody became a family.

“This wasn’t supposed to (end) tonight.”

Oklahoma 96, Iowa 62

NCAA Second Round, at Norman, Okla.

IOWA (62): Hannah Stuelke 4-9 2-4 10, Taylor McCabe 1-3 0-0 3, Sydney Affolter 0-7 0-0 0, Kylie Feuerbach 5-9 0-0 14, Lucy Olsen 7-20 2-2 20, Ava Heiden 2-4 0-0 4, Aaliyah Guyton 0-6 0-0 0, Taylor Stremlow 1-1 0-0 3, Addison O’Grady 2-4 0-0 4, A.J. Ediger 2-3 0-1 4, Jada Gyamfi 0-0 0-0 0, Callie Levin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-66 4-7 62.

OKLAHOMA (96): Sahara Williams 6-10 0-2 13, Raegan Beers 2-6 7-8 11, Reyna Scott 2-9 1-2 6, Payton Verhulst 5-14 4-6 16, Skylar Vann 6-9 2-2 17, Zya Vann 4-12 1-3 10, Lexy Keys 0-6 0-0 0, Liz Scott 4-7 2-2 11, Beatrice Culliton 1-1 0-0 2, Nevaeh Tot 1-2 0-0 3, Aubrey Joens 1-2 0-0 3, Landry Allen 1-3 0-0 2, Caya Smith 1-2 2-2 5, Kiersten Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-81 19-27 96.

Iowa 11 16 16 19 — 62

Oklahoma 20 18 30 28 — 96

3-point goals: Iowa 10-25 (McCabe 1-3, Affolter 0-3, Feuerbach 4-6, Olsen 4-8, Guyton 0-4, Stremlow 1-1), Oklahoma 11-34 (Williams 1-2, R. Scott 1-4, Verhulst 2-6, S. Vann 2-2, Vann 1-6, L. Scott 1-2, Joens 1-1, Allen 0-1, Smith 1-1). Team fouls: Iowa 19, Oklahoma 15. Fouled out: none. Technical foul: Iowa bench. Rebounds: Iowa 33 (Affolter 9), Oklahoma 64 (Beers 13). Assists: Iowa 16 (Affolter 5), Oklahoma 23 (Williams, S. Vann, Keys 4). Steals: Iowa 5 (Olsen 2), Oklahoma 13 (four with 2). Turnovers: Iowa 20, Oklahoma 15.

Attendance: 8,138.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com