No. 22 Louisville vs No. 11 Oklahoma | 2024 ACC/SEC Challenge | 12.4.24

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- December 4th, 2024 Recap below... Fair Use Notice: The Women’s Basketball Alliance (WBA) highlights are shared under Fair Use as transformative content for educational, promotional, and analytical purposes. By curating and presenting condensed game footage, we provide commentary, foster public engagement, and promote the growth of women’s basketball. For copyright concerns, contact us at [email protected], all claims will be reviewed promptly. Written by Ryan Aber | The Oklahoman Payton Verhulst scored 11 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter, helping the No. 11 OU women's basketball team come back for a 78-72 win over No. 22 Louisville, her former team, on Wednesday in the SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge at Louisville. The Sooners trailed by as many as 17, but scratched and clawed their way back in the second half to complete their biggest come-from-behind win since December 2021 and complete a five-game road trip with four wins. OU turned the ball over a season-high 27 times, but had just nine in the second half and two in the fourth quarter to open the door to a comeback. The Sooners still trailed by seven with less than five minutes remaining before finishing with a 17-4 run to secure the win. Verhulst scored eight during the stretch, hitting six free throws. It was a return for Verhulst, a former five-star prospect who played 40 games for the Cardinals over two seasons before transferring to Norman in the middle of the 2022-23 season. Verhulst hit four 3-pointers, going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. Oklahoma's Payton Verhulst (12) blocked out Louisville's Jayda Curry (30) during their game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Dec. 4, 2024. Sahara Williams added 15 points — eight in the fourth quarter. Williams had nine turnovers, six in the first half. Raegan Beers had 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Cardinals started pulling away late in the first, reeling off the last eight points of the quarter — six after OU’s Skylar Vann picked up her second foul and was relegated to the bench for the rest of the half. Louisville reeled off a 16-4 run in the second quarter to lead 41-24 before the Sooners scored the final five points of the half to trim the deficit. The Sooners still trailed by 15 late in the third quarter, before they started cutting into the deficit. Olivia Cochran scored 15 points in the first half but scored just two after halftime to finish with a season-high 17 points. With 2:21 remaining, Verhulst grabbed an offensive rebound and went right back up, picking up a foul on Cochran and fouling her former teammate out of the game. Verhulst hit the two free throws to put the Sooners ahead for the first time since the first quarter, then answered a jumper on the other end with another of her own to put the Sooners ahead for good. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sport...