No. 25 Oklahoma (5-0) defeated Virginia (3-1) 82-67 in Charlottesville for its fifth consecutive win.
OU shot 48% from field goal range and 43% from three-point territory. Five players scored over 10 points, with senior forward Skylar Vann leading with 17. The Sooners overcame a near upset from the Cavaliers in the second half to walk away with their first program win over UVA.
Here are some takeaways from the game:
Comeback squashed
UVA overcame its first-half struggles to rally on a 12-3 run, cutting the Sooners’ 17-point lead to single digits. OU, which shot 52% from the field in the first half, struggled to score as UVA outscored it 21-13 to end the third quarter.
The Cavaliers continued to keep the pedal to the metal in the fourth with the once 22-point deficit being cut to as low as five at the beginning of the fourth quarter. However, OU remained strong and scored enough to keep its lead.
Redshirt freshman forward Sahara Williams, who hadn’t scored in the first three quarters, put up 11 points in the fourth to crush the Cavaliers’ hopes of coming away with a win.
Exceptional shooting
Oklahoma is proving why it is one of the top shooting schools in the nation, boasting 48% accuracy from the field and 43% from three-point range.
Besides Vann, four other Sooners made it into the double-digits list. Guards senior Aubrey Joens and junior Payton Verhults scored 15 each, with Verhulst shooting 67% from three point range. Senior guard Lexy Keys and Sahara Williams each dropped 11.
Defense showing strength
Baranczyk’s Sooners have struggled to play defense in the past.
This was not the case in the first half against the Cavaliers. OU seemingly shut down UVA’s shooting game with ease, applying physicality and pressure in the paint and caused turnovers. The Sooners stole the ball six times in the first half and blocked six shots, higher than their season average of 4.8 per game.
Verhulst finished with three steals.
Next, Oklahoma faces Princeton (2-1) in the Fort Myers Tip-Off at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
This story was edited by Colton Sulley.