Michigan State women’s basketball‘s return to the Sweet 16 will have to wait another year.
In a game that was tight throughout, No. 4-seed Oklahoma emerged with a 77-71 victory over the 5-seed Spartans in an NCAA Tournament Sacramento-4 region second-round contest on Sunday, March 22, in Norman, Oklahoma.
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The loss marks the second straight exit in the second round of the NCAA tournament for the Spartans, who were trying to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.
Michigan State’s Kennedy Blair (35) and Oklahoma’s Zya Vann (3) fight for a loose ball during a second-round game in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.
Oklahoma pushed its lead to a game-best eight on a 3-pointer with 6:30 to play and MSU never got closer than four down the stretch.
Rashunda Jones had a game-high 20 points to lead the Spartans before fouling out in the final quarter.
Raegan Beers had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Aaliyah Chavez had 18 points to lead Oklahoma.
Michigan State’s Rashunda Jones (1) celebrates a 3-point basket during a second-round game in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State women’s basketball bows out in March Madness vs. Sooners
