Payton Verhulst made three 3-pointers during the
In the opening quarter, No. 24-ranked Oklahoma was led by Payton Verhulst to three 3-pointers, and that lead remained throughout the team’s 86-72 victory over Iowa State on Saturday night. With its tenth straight victory, OU maintained its top spot in the Big 12 Conference rankings. With 11 straight victories, OU has improved to 16-6 overall and 11-1 in league play. Iowa State lost to Kansas 7-5 and 13-9.
Verhulst, a McDonald’s All-American from De Soto, Kansas, and a former Louisville transfer, got out to a quick start from distance. She ended 6-for-11 from 3 for 25 points, her highest scoring performance since she scored a season-high 32 points in a victory against Oral Roberts on November 12. Overall, she was 8 out of 17 in the field. With four steals, Verhulst also had a game-high. She helped the Sooners establish a 27-19 lead in the first quarter by stretching the Cyclones defense with three bombs, one from the right wing and two from the front, including a deep bomb. In the fourth quarter, she made her fourth 3-pointer, which put OU ahead 80-63.
Ahead of the game, senior Skylar Vann led the team in scoring with 15.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She scored six points in the first quarter but struggled to find her scoring touch in the second and third quarters. Eventually, she found her shooting form again in the fourth quarter, finishing with 12 points as OU pulled away. Nevaeh Tot led OU in scoring with 10 points, including two three-pointers, in addition to a game-high nine assists (just one turnover) and three steals. Oklahoma took advantage of 20 Iowa State errors, 12 of which were thefts, to score 21 points. Additionally, on 25 of the 33 field goals, OU had assets. Next week, the Sooners will play a home game against Baylor on Tuesday at 6 p.m.