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Oklahoma

OU women beat Kentucky, advance to semi-finals of SEC tournament

headshotby: George Stoia03/07/25GeorgeStoia
OU Payton Verhulst
Mar 7, 2025; Greenville, SC, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Payton Verhulst (12) brings the ball up court against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The No. 10 OU women’s basketball team won its ninth consecutive game on Friday, beating No. 12 Kentucky 69-65 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. The Sooners had to overcome a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the Wildcats.

Oklahoma struggled to start the game, trailing most of the first half and 31-26 at halftime. But OU found its groove in the third quarter with guard Payton Verhulst hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Sooners a one-point lead heading into the fourth. OU outscored Kentucky 19-16 in the final quarter with freshman Zya Vann hitting two free throws in the final seconds to win.

Raegan Beers led the way for Oklahoma, with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Verhulst added 16, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sahara Williams had 13 and Vann added nine. And the Sooners got some help off the bench from sophomore Landry Allen, who totaled five points, two assists and two rebounds in 10 minutes of play.

OU was dominant at the free throw line, going 19-of-20, which made up for the Sooners going 6-of-27 from the 3-point line. Oklahoma also limited its turnovers, only totaling 13 compared to Kentucky’s 20.

The Sooners will now face No. 1 seed South Carolina in the semi-finals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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