by (Photo by Adriel Clements)
NORMAN – Oklahoma used its depth and a stout defensive performance to erase an early 11-point deficit and knock off UCF 69-52 in the team’s Big 12 opener in Norman on Saturday.
The win secured head coach Jennie Baranczyk‘s 250th career win and marked Oklahoma’s (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) third consecutive conference-opening victory under the head coach. The Sooners held UCF (9-2, 0-1 Big 12) to 52 points, the lowest for an OU conference opponent in nearly four years.
“Overall, I’m really proud of our team for how they responded,” Baranczyk said. “UCF came out really strong and put us on our heels, which is something that they have done all year because they’re a very good team. But more than anything, I’m proud of how we answered because it has been a really challenging December for us. When your back is against the wall, you’ve got a couple of different choices and this team really went after it today.”
UCF set the tone early at Lloyd Noble Center, scoring the game’s first 11 points to build an 11-0 lead before Aubrey Joens opened the OU scoring with a layup. After Reyna Scott made a pair of free throws, the two sides closed the quarter by trading blows as the Knights held a 21-15 advantage after 10 minutes. The Sooners locked in defensively in the second quarter, holding UCF to just one made field goal as Baranczyk’s team finally took the lead after a Skylar Vann layup with 30 seconds left in the frame.
OU broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring UCF 19-10 behind a 10-3 run to close the period and head to the final frame up 49-36. Withstanding a small Knights’ run to cut the lead to six early in the fourth, the Sooners responded emphatically, building the lead back to 15 at the five-minute mark and held on for the commanding 17-point, 69-52 win.
Saturday’s win showcased Oklahoma’s balance and depth as all 11 active players scored in the win. Reyna Scott led the team with 11 points off the bench, making five of her six free throw attempts. Skylar Vann neared a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Kiersten Johnson broke out for eight points, four rebounds and tied her career high with four blocks. Lexy Keys wreaked havoc defensively, collecting a career-high seven steals.
The OU bench unit, which entered the day producing the sixth-most points in the country (32.3 PPG), outscored the UCF bench 41-2. As a team, OU shot 41% but held UCF to 33% from the floor, improving to 36-2 under Baranczyk when holding opponents under 40% and 47-1 when shooting a better percentage than its opponents since 2021. The Sooners narrowly outrebound UCF 36-35 but held the Knights well below their season average on the offensive glass. Oklahoma turned it over a season-low 12 times and forced UCF into a season-high 25 turnovers.
The come-from-behind win marked the 13th double-digit comeback under Baranczyk and first of the season. The 28-point swing after UCF opened on the 11-0 run is the second-largest for the Sooners in the last five years.
