Oklahoma has big 3rd quarter to advance over Portland, 85-63
Portland forward Lucy Cochrane, left, and Oklahoma forward Liz Scott scramble for the ball during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the women's NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Kyusung Gong
LOS ANGELES — Aubrey Joens and Taylor Robertson each scored 14 points and fifth-seeded Oklahoma took control in the third quarter to defeat No. 12 seed Portland 85-63 Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Madi Williams added 13 points for the Sooners (26-6), who will face the winner of No. 4 seed UCLA and 13th-seeded Sacramento State in Monday's second round. The winner will advance to the Greenville 1 regional.
Alex Fowler led Portland (23-9) with 18 points while Emme Shearer and Lucy Cochrane had 12 apiece. The Pilots were 3 of 19 on 3-pointers.
Joens had eight points during the pivotal third quarter. Oklahoma had a 39-34 halftime lead, but went on a couple runs and were up 63-47 going into the final 10 minutes.
Portland got within 39-36 early in the third quarter when coach Michael Meek was called for a technical with 8:16 remaining. Robertson hit a pair of free throws which started a 13-4 Oklahoma run.
The Sooners also were able to pull away due to their trips to the foul line. Portland was called for 10 fouls in the quarter was Oklahoma went 11 of 15.
Oklahoma, which came into the game as the nation's second-highest scoring offense at 84.5 points per game, improved to 22-0 when scoring 80 or more points.
Portland guard Maisie Burnham, left, and Oklahoma guard Aubrey Joens vie for the ball in the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Kyusung Gong
BIG PICTURE
Portland: The Pilots, who were playing in the tournament for the first time since 1997, fell to 0-5. They qualified in 2020, but it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Oklahoma: The Sooners improved to 30-8 in the tournament when facing lower-seeded teams. They are looking to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.
