Oklahoma easily dispatches Iowa from NCAA Tournament

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Skylar Vann scored 17 points, Payton Verhulst added 16 and No. 3 seed Oklahoma cruised into the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament, dispatching No. 6 seed Iowa 96-62 on Monday.

Raegan Beers had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in just 18 minutes for the Sooners.

Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk beat her alma mater and advanced past the second round for the first time in her four years with the Sooners. Oklahoma (27-7) will play UConn or South Dakota State on Saturday in Spokane, Washington.

Caitlin Clark had led Iowa to the previous two national championship games before she became the No. 1 overall pick in last year's WNBA draft. Without her, the Hawkeyes shot 36.4% from the field. Lucy Olsen scored 20 points and Kylie Feuerbach added 14 for Iowa (23-11).

Iowa ran out to a 10-4 lead, but the Sooners closed the first quarter on a 16-1 run. The Sooners led 38-27 at halftime, despite Beers sitting out most of the half with two fouls.

Oklahoma, which went 2-for-17 on 3-pointers in the first half, hit three in a 55-second span early in the second half to go up 49-32. The Sooners pushed the lead to 68-43 by the end of the third quarter.

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