Oklahoma (11-6, 5-1 Big 12) defeated Houston (11-7, 2-5) 71-65 Saturday at the Fertitta Center in Houston.
Senior forward Skylar Vann and junior guard Payton Verhulst scored a combined 39 points to nudge the Sooners out ahead of the Cougars and grab their fifth conference win of the season. OU shot 29-56 (52%) from field goal range and proved highly effective in the assist game with 23.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ win:
Teamwork showing
A topic coach Jennie Baranczyk touched upon at the beginning of the season was trying to get a new and mostly inexperienced team to learn how to best play with each other. As the heart of the season approaches, the Sooners are starting to become a more efficient machine.
The greatest example of the team’s progress comes in its exceptional assist rate. OU recorded 23 total assists, beating its average of 19 per game. With the players able to communicate and find ways to get the ball to open shooters, the Sooners shot 10% better than their average and relied less on frantic 3-point shots.
Houston only recorded 10 assists and appeared far more disconnected on the court. The Cougars shot 26-for-70 and scored eight points below their average of 73 per game, showing how the Sooners’ greater understanding of each other gave them the edge.
Turnovers hamper OU
One glaring flaw that often interfered with the Sooners’ momentum was their turnover rate.
OU committed 19 turnovers, a problem that helped give the Cougars a fighting chance. Houston applied the necessary defensive pressure to disrupt the Sooners’ ball control and in the end scored 20 points off their mistakes. Despite the Cougars’ own ball troubles, the Sooners only scored 10 points off their turnovers.
The Sooners maintained their lead through their shooting and strong assist numbers, ultimately holding off the Cougars in the final 20 minutes of the game to pull off the victory.
Back-to-back 20-point games for Vann
Vann posted over 20 points for the second game in a row. Vann went 7-13 from field goal range to score 21 points, 15 of which came in the first half. She also grabbed five rebounds and collected three steals to put her on top of the team leaderboard.
Verhulst came in second in the scoring category. The Louisville transfer scored 18 points after going 7-13 from field goal range. Verhulst also grabbed five rebounds and tallied four assists.
Sophomore forward Kiersten Johnson also had a solid showing, blocking two shots, grabbing four rebounds and coming in clutch in the third quarter by scoring six points to keep the Sooners ahead.
Next, OU takes on Texas (18-2, 5-2 Big 12) at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Austin on ESPNU.
