Payton Verhulst

Senior guard Payton Verhulst during the game against Virginia on Nov. 8 in Lloyd Noble Center.

 Brooklyn Simons/OU Daily

No. 11 Oklahoma (7-1) won 78-72 to No. 22 Louisville (5-3) in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky.

After a five-game road trip, the Sooners will head back to Norman and play Alabama State, at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman on SEC Network+.

Here are the takeaways and highlights from the game:

Top Scorers 

  • Senior guard Payton Verhulst had 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

  • Sophomore guard Sahara Williams had 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

  • Junior center Raegan Beers had 11 points and 10 rebounds, earning a double-double.

  • Redshirt senior guard Nevaeh Tot had nine points, two rebounds and four assists.

  • Redshirt senior Lexy Keys has six points, two rebounds and two assists.

Top Stats 

  • Oklahoma shot 45% from the floor against Louisville. The Sooners made 24 of 53 attempts.

  • The Sooners shot 9 of 24 from the three-point range. Verhulst made four of OU’s nine three-pointers.

  • Behind the free throw line, Oklahoma shot 78% adding 21 points to the team’s total score. The Sooners were 21 of 27 at the free throw line. 

Top Takeaways

  • Fouls were a problem for both teams. By the end of the game, there were a total of 52 fouls. In the matchup, Oklahoma had 23 personal fouls resulting in Beers, Verhulst and redshirt senior center Liz Scott having four personal fouls each.

  • In the last two games, OU had a combined total of 41 turnovers allowing their opponents to score an average of 16 points. Against Louisville, Oklahoma turned the ball over 27 times, a season-high, allowing the Cardinals to score 28 points. Williams had the most turnovers for the Sooners, turning the ball over nine times.

  • Despite having 43 rebounds against the Cardinals, the Sooners had difficulty gaining rebounds both offensively and defensively. OU allowed the Cardinals to gain 37 rebounds during the matchup.

  • In the beginning, OU struggled against Louisville. The Cardinals played aggressively from the start and executed a tough man-on-man defense that Oklahoma couldn’t escape. At halftime, the Sooners trailed 41-29. In the second half of the game, OU improved on both sides of the ball, slowly closing the gap in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

Highlights 

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