OU women's basketball vs Alabama State: Skylar Vann joins 1,000-point club in Sooners' win

NORMAN — Trying to talk to teammate Kiersten Johnson on the other side of the free-throw lane Wednesday, OU’s Skylar Vann needed a little extra oomph to her voice.

“She can’t hear me so I’m screaming as loud as I can to tell her I’m taking the ball and her to go down,” Vann said after the Sooners’ 92-46 win over Alabama State at the Lloyd Noble Center. “The environment was really cool. It was really loud though. It’s really fun. We truly appreciate it.”

The game was Sooner Junior Field Trip Day, with hundreds of energized school kids in attendance.

“What a fun environment,” Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk said.

They saw a dominant performance by the Sooners and a milestone moment for Vann, who became the 39th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

“It means a lot,” Vann said. “I’m blessed. I think I worked really hard for it, but also know I didn’t do it on my own.”

Vann, the two-time Big 12 Sixth Person of the Year, led the Sooners with 16 points.

Next up for Vann on the OU career scoring list is Nicole Griffin, who finished with 1,088 points.

The outcome was never much in doubt, as OU reeled off an 18-0 first-quarter tun to take a 25-8 lead.

The stretch included six points by Reyna Scott and 11 fast-break points. Scott finished with a season-high 13 points.

Freshman Sahara Williams added 14 points.

The Sooners forced 24 turnovers, their most of the season, while committing a season-low 16. OU outscored the Hornets 32-12 off turnovers.

Hot start

The Sooners are 4-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 season, when they won their first five games.

OU is now 17-0 in regular-season non-conference home games under Baranczyk.

The Sooners are averaging 91.8 points per game.

More: OU women's basketball: Breaking down the Sooners' roster for the 2023-24 season

Assists keep flowing

The Sooners finished with 23 assists, a game after recording 30 in Sunday’s win over Oral Roberts.

That 30-assist game was the most for the Sooners in the Big 12 era.

The Sooners have at least 20 assists in each of their wins this season.

Against Alabama State, Nevaeh Tot led the way with seven and Lexy Keys had six, both season highs.

“We probably could’ve matched the other night if we maybe could’ve made a couple more,” Jennie Baranczyk said. “It’s always been a staple of our program. It’s always been something that, from a personal values standpoint, I think it’s really important for the game.”

Lexy Keys continues to thrive

Oklahoma State transfer Lexy Keys didn’t score much Wednesday — finishing with six points — but she had six assists, three rebounds and two steals and Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk and teammate Skylar Vann said Keys was one of the keys to the performance.

“I’ve played Lex for three years now so I already knew what she could do,” Vann said. “Her defense is insane. She works so hard. I think that’s one thing about her that I really appreciate it. She can score — we know she can score — but she does all the gritty stuff on the other side all the time, 100%. For us, we always recognize that.”

Keys was just 2 of 7 from the floor, but Baranczyk said that didn’t diminish her impact.

“She’s an everyday person,” Baranczyk said. “She doesn’t have bad days. Yeah, maybe the ball doesn’t go in, but that’s not a bad day. She comes to practice every day, she gives what she has, she fits in really well. She’s another person that you have to have in your program because she wants everyone to do well.

Sooners hit the road

After playing three of their first four games at home, the Sooners play their next three games away from Lloyd Noble Center.

They’ll play at Virginia on Sunday before taking on Princeton and future SEC rival Tennessee at the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Fort Myers, Florida, next week.

OU’s next home game is Dec. 1 against Grambling.

More: Liz Scott out for season and four more things to know about OU women's basketball

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma routs Alabama State as Skylar Vann joins 1,000-point club