WOMENS BASKETBALL

Oklahoma 91, Texas 87

MARK ROSNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN, Texas - Skylar Vann had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Payton Verhulst scored 18 points and Oklahoma beat No. 10 Texas 91-87.

Texas (18-3, 5-3 Big 12), which trailed by as many as 13 in the third quarter, cut the deficit to one on a basket in the lane by Madison Booker with 59 seconds left. But Lexy Keys made a 3-pointer from the left corner 19 seconds later for Oklahoma.

Booker then banked in a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left, but Nevaeh Tot’s free throw put the game out of reach.

Keys scored 15 for the Sooners (12-6, 6-1). Tot made 10 of the Sooners’ 21 assists.

Booker, a freshman, scored a season-best 29 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter. Texas senior Shay Holle scored a career-high 22, converting 10 of 12 from the field.

Oklahoma (12-6, 6-1 Big 12) scored 18 of its 26 third-quarter points in the paint. Texas, after falling behind by 13, gave itself a chance with a five-point possession with 17 seconds left. Holle made a 3-point basket, and Taylor Jones, fouled on the play, added two free throws.

But Oklahoma quickly countered with a layup by Kiersten Johnson.

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma: Vann, a senior, is a starter after receiving Big 12 sixth player of the year recognition the past two seasons as a top sub. She leads the Sooners with 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds a game, both career bests.

Texas: The Longhorns played poorly on defense most of the game, repeatedly allowing Oklahoma open 3-point shots and close-in attempts in the lane. One sign of the leaky defense was that Texas induces 22 turnovers a game, but Oklahoma, which averages 18, committed just nine.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Oklahoma athletics press release

January 24, 2024