The Oklahoma Sooners again had to figure life out without leading scorer Raegan Beers, but this time it was almost costly.
The No. 16 Sooners barely survived against Auburn 73-71 on Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center. The win put OU back above .500 in SEC play at 6-5 and 18-6 overall with five games left in the regular season.
It ultimately came down to Payton Verhulst making a pair of free throws with four seconds left. Auburn then missed its chance with two seconds left for OU to fight off the upset scare.
Verhulst was the hero with 15 points and the clutch free throws while playing 35 of 40 minutes. She also had six rebounds and an assist.
Forward Skylar Vann led the Sooners with 20 points while adding five rebounds and four assists. Vann had to step up down low with Beers, OU's starting center and leading scorer, out for the second straight game.
It was a surprise for most when Beers popped up on the final SEC Availability Report before the game. She missed OU's last game against Ole Miss on Thursday, but she was on the bench and reportedly missed because of an illness so was expected to return after the Sooners got an extra day off.
OU coach Jennie Baranczyk was vague about Beers' status during her postgame press conference Monday night.
"I’m hoping she’s back soon," Baranczyk said. "We don’t know yet. I don’t have a timeline for you."
Beers, who transferred from Oregon State last offseason, is averaging 16.9 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. She's a massive blow as the Sooners' leading scorer and rebounder.
The Sooners are on their easiest stretch of their conference schedule, but things won't be so easy without Beers. A slip-up against an unranked team could knock the Sooners from a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and keep them from hosting games.
OU will travel to Missouri on Sunday, with or without Beers.