Oklahoma women set NCAA rebound record with 72

The Oklahoma women's basketball team set a new NCAA tournament record by grabbing 72 rebounds in their first-round game on Saturday. They defeated Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) with a score of 81-58 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma was known as the best rebounding team in the Power 4 conference this season. Their coach, Jennie Baranczyk, joked about the high number of rebounds, noting the missed shots contributed to their record. The Sooners secured 23 offensive rebounds during the game, highlighting their ability to dominate the boards. The team shot 31 of 80 from the field, translating to a shooting percentage of 38.7%. Junior center Raegan Beers led the team with a season-high of 18 rebounds, making it the second-most by an Oklahoma player in NCAA tournament history. Courtney Paris holds the record with 20 rebounds from a game in 2007. This season, the Sooners average 47.3 rebounds per game, placing them second in Division I. Beers is averaging 9.2 rebounds, while senior forward Skylar Vann averages 4.9. Vann had an impressive game, scoring 24 points and grabbing nine rebounds. As this could be her last game, Vann expressed her desire to play joyfully. She believes the team succeeded in doing just that, especially in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma will now move on to face the No. 3 seed Iowa in the next round of the tournament.