Sooner women complete comeback to take Bedlam Game 1 from Cowgirls

STILLWATER — Oklahoma trailed most of the game, but an overpowering second half guided the Sooners past Oklahoma State 81-74 at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday afternoon in the first of two Bedlam games this season.

The win pushed OU (15-6 overall, 9-1 in Big 12 play) into a tie atop the Big 12 standings with No. 2 Kansas State, and third-year OU women’s coach Jennie Baranczyk is now 5-0 vs. the Cowgirls (11-11, 4-7).

The Sooners trailed early as the Cowgirls used their home-court advantage to jump out to a 12-7 lead in the first quarter. OU got within two later in the frame, but OSU’s Hannah Gusters was effective inside as the Cowgirls took a 24-16 lead into the second.

Oklahoma outscored OSU 17-16 to cut into the deficit but trailed by seven at 40-33 at the break.

Lexy Keys and Sahara Williams lit the spark and powered an 8-0 OU run to open the second half and take a lead, and that’s when the two teams started to exchange blows. The game featured 11 lead changes, but it was a fourth-quarter run guided by Skylar Vann and Nevaeh Tot that pushed the Sooners past OSU and into first place in the league. The Sooners outscored the Cowgirls by 14 points in the second half and a dominant nine points in the final frame.

Vann finished with a game-high 22 points, eclipsing 20 points for the third straight game. The senior from Edmond added seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the win. Freshman Sahara Williams, playing in her first edition of Bedlam, found herself in early foul trouble but scored all 15 of her points in the second half and was 7-of-9 from the field. Payton Verhulst notched a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 assists, and added seven rebounds for her most complete game of the conference slate. Lexy Keys, who transferred to OU from OSU in the off-season, buried four of her five 3-point attempts to score a critical 12 points to send the Sooners across the finish line. Off the bench, Beatrice Culltion was crucial to the victory as the sophomore post grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, scored six points and dished out four assists.

The Sooners shot 49 percent from the floor, including 38 percent (10-of-26) from behind the 3-point arc. On the defensive end, OU held the Cowgirls to 44 percent and 29 percent from deep.

The game was won on the glass where OU outrebounded OSU 43-31 and scored 14 second-chance points to seal the win, and 27 assists on 33 made field goals highlighted the offensive attack for OU as the Sooners continue to lead the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio.

In defeat, Hannah Gusters led OSU with 22 points and five rebounds in her return from a one-game absence. Quincy Noble added 17 points and six rebounds and Anna Gret Asi finished with 15.

OU will return to the floor tonight when Texas Christian University comes to Lloyd Noble Center, while OSU will look to get back on track during its upcoming two-game road trip, with the first stop taking place this Saturday in Manhattan, Kan., for a battle with Kansas State.