OU women's basketball takes down Miami 88-83, advances on to Sweet Sixteen

The OU women knew they would have a battle on their hands headed into their game Tuesday night against the Miami Hurricanes, but they couldn't have predicted just how physically tough it was going to be.  The refs were incredibly inconsistent throughout the game, at times letting them (and by them I definitely mean Miami) get away with murder while at other times calling ticky-tack fouls.  For the second consecutive game, OU's senior leader Danielle Robinson got into foul trouble and was forced to miss extended stretches.  She picked up her third foul with under a minute to go in the first half, but somehow finished the game with just those same three fouls.

The women were able to overcome their 18 turnovers to defeat the Hurricanes primarily due to several clutch performances.  The first came in Whitney Hand's career high 27 points on 9-15 shooting (3-7 from three), she also chipped in five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.  OU also got 18 points from D-Rob, albeit on 5-17 shooting, but it was her presence with the ball in her hands that truly helped the Sooners routinely break the Miami press.  

The Sooners also got an outstanding senior performance from Carlee Roethlisberger who went 4-9 from three, several being of the HUGE variety, finishing with 14 points.  Finally, and perhaps the most valuable contribution came from Joanna McFarland who had one of the best games of her career.  McFarland finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points grabbing 15 rebounds (six offensive).  She was continually fighting with Hurricane defenders and bringing down boards which played a crucial role in the Sooner victory.

The women will now move on to face #2 seed and massive thorn in their side Notre Dame this Saturday @ 2:30 pm CT.  We'll have more for you later in the week on the upcoming game, but for now it's time to celebrate the ladies hard fought victory!!!