Oklahoma protected its home floor and its postseason dreams on Sunday, outlasting Michigan State 77–71 at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman to secure a second straight trip to the Sweet 16. Senior center Raegan Beers owned the interior with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while guard Rashunda Jones paced the Spartans with 20. The win bumps the Sooners to 27–7 and brings Michigan State’s season to a close at 23–9.
How the game turned
Michigan State looked comfortable early, taking a 42–37 lead into halftime before Oklahoma tightened the screws after the break and clawed back despite committing 14 turnovers, according to the Chicago Tribune. Payton Verhulst knocked down a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to flip the lead and tilt the momentum toward the Sooners. From there, Oklahoma’s size in the paint and just-enough perimeter punch helped them ride out a late Spartans surge.
Beers anchors the Sooners
Beers has been Oklahoma’s gravitational force all season, and the senior center drew national attention earlier this month when she was named a Wooden Award finalist, per University of Oklahoma Athletics. Her work on the offensive glass and as a rim protector has given the Sooners a clear inside-out identity, with guards stepping into big moments when games get tight. That combination again paid off in a tense second half as Oklahoma leaned on Beers in the lane and then shut things down in the closing minutes.
Spartans pushed but ran out of answers
Michigan State did not go quietly. Jones turned in a strong scoring night, and the Spartans got important contributions from Kennedy Blair, Grace VanSlooten and Aaliyah Chavez, but they could not keep their torrid first-half shooting alive after the break. Several Spartans earned conference honors this season, underscoring the program’s depth and toughness, according to Michigan State Athletics. The loss, however, halts their push for a first Sweet 16 appearance since 2009.
What’s next
Oklahoma now moves on to face the winner of No. 1 South Carolina and No. 9 Southern California in the regional semifinal, per the Chicago Tribune. For fans in Norman, the storyline going forward is simple enough: can the Sooners’ mix of power in the post and opportunistic outside shooting carry them through another weekend? Tipoff time and the Sweet 16 site will be finalized after the South region wraps up its second-round slate.
