WOMENS BASKETBALL
Oklahoma 69, Kentucky 65
ASSOCIATED PRESS
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Raegan Beers had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Payton Verhulst added 16 points and No. 10 Oklahoma battled back from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat No. 12 Kentucky 69-65 on Friday and advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Sahara Williams chipped in with 13 points for Oklahoma (25-6), which has won nine straight.
Georgia Amoore scored 29 points and Clara Strack added 12 points and 16 rebounds to lead Kentucky (22-7).
The teams finished tied for fourth in the SEC, but the Wildcats beat the Sooners 95-86 to earn the head-to-head tiebreaker and a double bye in the tournament. In that game Amoore had a career-high 43 points on seven 3-pointers, so finding a way to stop Kentucky’s point guard was a point of emphasis for Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk. Amoore was 12 of 27 from the field. Neither team led by more than five in the first half, but Amoore’s first 3-pointer of the game midway through the third quarter gave Kentucky a 10-point lead. Verhulst’s back-to-back 3s from the top of the key allowed the Sooners to take a 50-49 lead into the fourth quarter. THE TAKEAWAY
Oklahoma: Despite playing their second game in two days, the Sooners looked stronger down the stretch than the more well-rested Wildcats. Kentucky: Finished 4 of 23 from 3-point range. Amoore was just 3 of 8, with two of those coming in the final minute. KEY MOMENT
Skylar Vann’s cutting layup gave Oklahoma a 64-59 lead with 1:32 left. KEY STAT
The Sooners won despite shooting 31% from the field.
March 7, 2025