OKLAHOMA CITY — Whitney Hand couldn't quite remember her teammate's buzzer-beating 3-pointer that started Oklahoma's big run. And it took a few moments for her to remember the wild scoop shot that she contributed to that surge.

Looking back, the game seemed to be as much of a blur for her as she made it for Pittsburgh.

Hand set new career highs with 22 points and eight rebounds, and the top-seeded Sooners rolled to a 70-59 win over Pitt on Sunday night to reach the regional finals of the NCAA tournament for only the second time in school history.

"I don't think it's about what I did. I think that we all had a goal coming into this game. It was a goal of making it to the Elite Eight," said Hand, a freshman guard. "No one on the court had made it there yet, including myself, so it wasn't like any of us were really in a familiar position."

Oklahoma (31-4) put the game away with a 20-2 second-half surge that included Hand's crazy shot that bounded its way into the basket. The Sooners were hardly bothered by foul trouble that kept Courtney Paris off the court much of the game, getting double-digit scoring from all five starters.

Paris, the Sooners' All-American center, made waves on her senior night earlier this month when she promised that Oklahoma would win its first national title or she'd pay back her scholarship money.

So far, it has been Hand — who missed the last four games of the regular season with a broken left index finger — that's been Oklahoma's go-to girl in the NCAA tournament.

And while she won't take the credit, her coach is ready to give it to her.

"I disagree with Whitney when she says that it doesn't matter the magnitude of the game," Sooners coach Sherri Coale said. "I think she's an extraordinary collegiate basketball player already, and you can spot the great ones because they show up when the lights are brightest."

Shavonte Zellous scored 18 points on 7-for-20 shooting to lead Pitt, which lost in the round of 16 for the second straight year.

Oklahoma, which made its only other regional final appearance in 2002 on its way to the national championship game, advances to face sixth-seeded Purdue (25-10) on Tuesday night.

"It's not about how good I played or individual stats at all," Hand said. "I'm really glad I had a good game and I'm thankful, but at the same time I'm so much happier that we made it to the Elite Eight and we're still alive."

Hand hit three 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the second round against Georgia Tech to shake the rust off after three miserable games in which she went a combined 2-for-22 and got shut out twice. As it turned out, that was just a preview of what was to come.

She hit four 3-pointers and scored 17 of the Sooners' first 32 points.