Oklahoma had done just enough to take a late lead over Florida Gulf Coast.

Thanks to a 3-pointer from Aubrey Joens, a jumper from Payton Verhulst and a free throw from Skylar Vann, the Sooners clung to a three-point lead with 16 seconds to go. The Sooners forced a miss, and a fight for the loose ball resulted in a jump ball favoring FGCU with one second to go. Lexy Keys deflected the ensuing inbound, knocking the clock down to 0.4 seconds.

FGCU executed on the final inbound, and the ball found an open Uju Ezeudu for a potential game-tying 3-pointer. But the shot bounced off the front rim, giving the Sooners a 73-70 win to open the NCAA Tournament with a win at Assembly Hall in Indiana.

Things certainly didn't look promising early in the game, as they fell behind 21-8 early. FGCU grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first quarter while forcing four OU turnovers, and the Sooners shot just five of 12 from the field.

But the Sooners found their rhythm in the second quarter, particularly defensively. They outscored FGCU 18-10 in the second quarter — true freshman Sahara Williams scored nine — to cut the lead to two points heading into halftime.

In the second half, Skylar Vann found her rhythm. She scored eight of her 14 second-half points in the third quarter, helping the Sooners take a three-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Sooners took a six-point lead midway through the fourth before FGCU went on a 7-0 run to take back the lead. But the clutch baskets from Joens and Verhulst helped seal the win.

Vann led the Sooners with 24 points on nine of 18 shooting.

The No. 5-seeded Sooners (23-9) now advances to the second round against No. 4-seeded Indiana (25-5). The Hoosiers beat Fairfield 89-56 on Saturday.

With a win, the Sooners would advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2013.