Kansas falls at Oklahoma, 97-64
NORMAN, Okla. – Kansas women’s basketball couldn’t stop Oklahoma’s hot-shooting night as the Jayhawks fell to the Sooners, 97-64, on Wednesday night inside Lloyd Noble Center.
Although Kansas (11-9, 2-7 Big 12) put together a strong offensive effort in the third period, Oklahoma’s (10-10, 5-4 Big 12) lead from the first half was too great for the Jayhawks to overcome in the final 20 minutes of the ballgame.
For the seventh time in the last nine games, junior guard Brianna Osorio notched a double-digit effort. The Las Vegas, Nevada led KU with 17 points and four rebounds. Junior forward Austin Richardson added 13 points to join Osorio in double figures.
All five of the Sooners’ starters notched double-digit scoring efforts on Wednesday night. Freshman guard Ana Llanusa led the way for OU with 18 points, while freshman guard Shaina Pellington and senior guard Gabbi Ortiz followed closely behind with 17 points apiece. Senior center Vionise Pierre-Louis added 13 points and five rebounds, while senior guard Maddie Manning rounded out the starting five with 11 points. Senior guard LaNesia Williams added 10 points off the bench for OU.
The Jayhawks matched the first two shots the Sooners put up to even the score at four early on in the first quarter. Oklahoma then went on a 12-0 sparked by five-straight points from Llanusa to give OU a 16-4 lead. Redshirt sophomore center Tyler Johnson split up OU’s two runs with a layup, but Manning knocked in five of Oklahoma’s next six points to keep the Sooners on top by 16.
Richardson and junior guard Kylee Kopatich each netted a 3-pointer in hopes of diminishing OU’s lead, but the Sooners finished the period on a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from redshirt junior guard Gileysa Penzo at the buzzer, as OU took a 31-12 lead after the first quarter.
The Sooners opened the second quarter with seven-straight points, including back-to-back buckets from Penzo to extend their lead to 26 with just under eight minutes to go in the second period. Kansas continued to battle back, outscoring the Sooners 11-7 in a three-and-a-half-minute span, but the Jayhawks couldn’t dip out of the 20-point deficit and went into the locker room trailing, 52-26, at the half.
After a slow start to the second half, the Jayhawks settled into a groove midway through the third quarter, going on a 13-1 run completed by a Kopatich layup. KU’s run cut the Oklahoma lead by 10, however, the Sooners held on to a 74-48 lead going into the final period.
The Jayhawks couldn’t slow the Sooners’ offensive pace in the final 10 minutes and fell in the first meeting of the season against Oklahoma, 97-64.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks return home to face in-state rival Kansas State in the Lawrence edition of the Sunflower Showdown on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m., inside Allen Fieldhouse. The game will celebrate the 50 year anniversary of women’s basketball at Kansas. The contest will be broadcast on FS1 and the Jayhawk Radio Network.
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