Oklahoma Topples Baylor to Win Ninth Straight

The 23rd-ranked Sooners took a commanding two-game lead atop the Big 12 Conference standings with a double-digit home victory over the No. 21 Bears.

John E. Hoover | Feb 14, 2024

Oklahoma Topples Baylor to Win Ninth Straight /

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Oklahoma Sooners

By OU Media Relations

NORMAN — Sophomore Kiersten Johnson had a career-high 20 points off the bench, Payton Verhulst had a double-double and No. 23 Oklahoma pulled away from No. 21 Baylor in the fourth quarter to win its ninth straight, 84-73 on Wednesday night at Lloyd Noble Center.

The Bears scored nine unanswered points to pull within four, 72-68, midway through the fourth, but Skylar Vann hit two baskets and Johnson made a layup to quickly push the lead back to 10. Baylor committed three straight turnovers, which offset a string of six straight baskets.

The last Baylor basket was a 3-pointer by Jana Van Gytenbeek that made it 80-73 with 2:12 to play but the Bears missed their last three shots.

Verhulst had 16 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks for the Sooners (18-6, 12-1 Big 12), who are 4-3 against ranked teams. Nevaeh Tot and Sahara Williams both had 14 points and Vann had 10.

The last time the Sooners were 12-1 in league play was the 2008-09 season when they finished 15-1 and made the Final Four.

Sarah Andrews had 14 points for Baylor (18-6, 7-6 Big 12), which is 5-3 in top-25 games. Dre'una Edwards and Van Gytenbeek both had 13 points.

Five different players scored during an 11-0 Oklahoma run to take at 13-3 lead, but Yaya Felder and Edwards combined for nine points to get Baylor back within one, 13-12. Johnson, whose previous career high was 11, scored Oklahoma's last 10 points of the first quarter to take a 21-19 lead.

Edwards hit a 3-pointer that put Baylor up 24-21 but the Sooners had a 10-2 run and ended up on top 35-29 at the half.

Oklahoma had a 24-14 rebounding advantage at the break but also had 10 turnovers. The Sooners were 1-of-12 from 3-point range but had 20 points in the paint. Baylor was 4-of-12 from 3 but 7 of 20 inside the arc.

The Sooners found the range from long distance in the third quarter, going 5-of-10 on 3s, and 5-of-10 inside the arc and stretched the lead to 64-51. Baylor only shot 6-of-21 but made 8-of-8 from the foul line.

Oklahoma returns to the floor Saturday when it takes on No. 24 West Virginia in Morgantown at noon CT on ESPN+.

Published Feb 14, 2024

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.