Oklahoma (9-6, 3-1 Big 12) dropped its first conference game to No. 12 Kansas State (16-1, 4-0) 74-57 Wednesday in Manhattan.
Senior forward Skylar Vann scored a team-high 14 points and junior guard Payton Verhulst grabbed nine rebounds. The Sooners shot 27% from the field.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ loss:
Vann and Sahara Williams rise late
For the second consecutive game, freshman forward Sahara Williams rallied the Sooners in the fourth quarter, this time with a 10-point performance in the quarter. Williams, who only scored 2 points prior, also grabbed eight rebounds.
Williams wasn't alone this time, however. Before the fourth quarter, Vann recorded only 6 points, but went on to score 8 in the final 10 minutes of play and also grabbed eight rebounds. The two combined for 18 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Senior guard Nevaeh Tot scored 13 points and finished behind Vann and Verhulst, who ended with nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Poor shooting holds Sooners back
The Sooners entered Wednesday averaging 79 points per game, third highest in the Big 12.
OU’s scoring was tested against the No. 1 defense in the conference, which allows 51 points per game. In the end, the Wildcats’ defense prevailed by holding the Sooners to their second-lowest scoring total all season.
OU went 19-70 (27%) from field goal range and 7-28 (25%) from 3-point range. Kansas State, despite being held to under 50 points before the fourth quarter, finished 29-67 (43%) from the field and totaled 74 points.
Lack of paint presence
The Sooners’ ineffective inside attack proved to be its biggest weakness. The Wildcats suffocated OU in the paint, recording 12 blocks and giving the Sooners no room to capitalize down low.
Senior center Ayoka Lee, who set an NCAA record of 61 points against the Sooners two seasons ago, proved to be a threat to OU’s offensive production, recording a game-high five blocked shots.
Oklahoma finished with 22 points in the paint, and was outmatched by the Wildcats’ 40 points from the inside.
Next, OU squares off against Texas Tech (13-3, 2-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday in Norman on ESPN+.
