Skip to main content

    OU Basketball: Payton Verhulst Powers Oklahoma Past Iowa State

    Sooners win their eighth straight in a comfortable Big 12 road win, this time fueled by Verhulst's offensive and defensive proficiency.

    Payton Verhulst hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and powered No. 24-ranked Oklahoma to an early lead that stood up throughout a 86-72 victory at Iowa State on Saturday night.

    OU stayed atop the Big 12 Conference standings with its eighth consecutive win and has now prevailed in 11 of its last 12 to improve to 16-6 overall and 11-1 in league play.

    Iowa State fell to 13-9 and 7-5.

    Screen Shot 2024-02-10 at 8.02.19 PM

    Verhulst, a former Louisville transfer and McDonald’s All-American from De Soto, KS, got going early from distance and finished 6-for-11 from 3 for 25 points, her best showing int the scoring column since posting a season-high 32 points in a win over Oral Roberts back on Nov. 12. She was 8-of-17 from the field overall.

    Verhulst also had a game-high four steals.

    She stretched the Cyclones defense with three bombs in the first period, one from the right wing and two from out front, including a deep one, to help the Sooners build a 27-19 lead.

    Her fourth 3 came in the fourth quarter and gave OU an 80-63 lead.

    Meanwhile, senior Skylar Vann, who came in with a team-high 15.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, scored six points in the first quarter but shot just 1-of-4 in the second and third quarters before finding her scoring touch again in the fourth and finishing with 12 points as OU pulled away.

    Nevaeh Tot scored 10 for OU, including a couple of 3s, to go with a game-high nine assists (with just one turnover) and three steals.

    Oklahoma scored 21 points off 20 Iowa State turnovers, which included 12 OU steals.

    OU also had assists on 25 of its 33 field goals.

    The Sooners are back home next week for a 6 p.m. game Tuesday against Baylor.

    © 2024 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.