by LAWRENCE, KAN. – Four Sooners scored in double figures Thursday night as No. 24/24 Oklahoma rolled past Kansas, 84-54, at Allen Fieldhouse. The victory marked the 12th straight year OU won its opening league game.
Maddie Manning led the Sooners (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) with a game-high 17 points, her sixth straight double-digit scoring game. Chelslea Dungee (Cherokee Nation) and Peyton Little both added in 15 points against Kansas (6-6, 0-1 Big 12).
In her first start, Nancy Mulkey finished with career highs of 14 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks. The seven blocks by the freshman are tied for the sixth-most ever in a single game by a Sooners, while Mulkey finished just one rebound shy of her first career double-double.
OU finished with a .516 (33-of-64) shooting percentage from the field and .467 (7-of-15) clip from 3-point range. The Sooners won the rebounding battle, 50-47. Gabbi Ortiz tied her career-high with eight assists as OU finished with 21 helpers in the victory.
The Sooners led 42-31 at halftime as Manning scored 12 of her 17 points in the opening half. After Kansas trimmed the OU lead down to five points, the Sooners responded with 3-pointers from Dungee, Little and Manning to extend its advantage back to double figures.
Jessica Washington led Kansas with 22 points, while McKenzie Calvert finished with 13 and a team-high eight rebounds.
The 30-point win for the Sooners marked its largest margin of victory in a Big 12 road game since defeating Texas Tech, 68-38, in Lubbock during the 2013-14 season.
OU returns home on Sunday to take on TCU at Lloyd Noble Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT.
