NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 23 Kansas Jayhawks fell to No. 19 Oklahoma 80-74 in a matchup of two nationally-ranked Big 12 foes on Saturday at the Lloyd-Noble Center.
Kansas falls to 12-4 on the season and 2-3 in league play, while Oklahoma improves to 14-2 (4-1 Big 12) on the year.
The Jayhawks rushed out to a 24-15 lead at the end of the first quarter and led by as many as 12 early in the second quarter. KU was limited to 11 points in the second quarter, but held the Sooners to 13 and took a 35-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Oklahoma slowly cut into the Jayhawks lead in the third quarter, before tying the game at 43-all on a three-pointer from Skylar Vann. The Sooners would later take a 46-45 lead, their first since the first quarter, and the rest of the quarter saw two lead changes and four ties, including at 53-53 at the end of the frame.
OU opened the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to build a 64-57 lead, but the Jayhawks had a response as Mia Vuksic sparked a 5-0 run with a three-pointer which helped get KU back within two at 64-62. Oklahoma answered with the next 10 points and outscored KU 16-12 the rest of the way to close out the game.
Kansas was led by Wyvette Mayberry, who matched a season-high with 20 points, while Zakiyah Franklin had 15 points and Ioanna Chatzileonti totaled 10 points and eight rebounds. Taiyanna Jackson led the Jayhawks with 13 rebounds and four blocked shots in addition to eight points. Holly Kersgieter also had nine points and seven rebounds.
The Jayhawks had a better shooting percentage, going 37.5% (25-of-68) from the field, but OU had two more made field goals and hit nine three-pointers. KU had a scoring advantage of 42-to-30 in the paint, but the Jayhawks were outrebounded 57-to-44 and OU had 21 assists compared to five for the Jayhawks.
Up Next
The Jayhawks return home to Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Jan. 18, to host West Virginia. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT and be televised on ESPN+.
