Regardless of going through a 31-26 halftime deficit and trailing by as many as 10, No. 10 Oklahoma used a robust inside sport and a near-perfect outing from the charity stripe to take down No. 12 Kentucky, 69-65, on Friday.
The Sooners advance to the semifinals of the SEC Match to face the top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
Oklahoma solely shot 30.6% and went 6-of-27 from three-point vary, so a 30-24 edge within the paint was a driving power behind the win.
This and-1 from junior Raegan Beers late within the third quarter was a chief instance of Oklahoma’s effectivity below the basket and why it overcame a second-half deficit to the Wildcats.
Beers had a team-high 20 factors (7-of-13 FG) and 11 rebounds, good for her twelfth double-double. Senior Payton Verhulst (16 factors) and sophomore Sahara Williams (13 factors) have been the opposite double-digit scorers and mixed for 5 of the group’s six threes.
Free throws have been a distinction within the sport as nicely. Oklahoma (19-of-20 FT) had 12 extra factors from the road than Kentucky (7-of-8), which speaks to its aggressiveness in attending to the basket all through the sport. Freshman Zya Vann (7-of-7 FT) scored seven of her 9 factors from the road whereas Beers was 6-of-7.
The Sooners’ protection did its half to make sure the victory, holding Kentucky to 38% taking pictures and solely 4-of-23 from three-point vary. Turnovers have been the story for the Wildcats. Whereas senior Georgia Amoore (29 factors, 5 rebounds, seven assists) dedicated zero turnovers, the remainder of the group mixed for 20.
Head coach Kenny Brooks has turned Kentucky (22-7, 11-5) round and executed an exceptional job in 12 months one in Lexington. Nevertheless, with back-to-back losses earlier than the NCAA Match, Kentucky should take higher care of the ball and assist its star participant out to keep away from an early exit.
Oklahoma (25-6, 11-5) enters the semifinals of the SEC Match as harmful as anybody. If the paint presence stays, Oklahoma could carry its momentum — no matter its consequence within the SEC Match – into the NCAA Match and maybe to the Ultimate 4.
