Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 23 Oklahoma dumps No. 21 Baylor
Oklahoma Sooners head coach Jennie Baranczyk smiles during the second half of an NCAA Women's Basketball game between the Oklahoma Sooners and UCF Knights at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Oklahoma won 69-52. credits: Alonzo Adams/For The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK Kiersten Johnson came off the bench to score 20 points as No. 23 Oklahoma ran its winning streak to nine games by defeating No. 21 Baylor 84-73 on Wednesday night in Norman, Okla.
Payton Verhulst tallied 16 points, Sahara Williams and Nevaeh Tot both had 14 points and Skylar Vann added 10 points for the Sooners (18-6, 12-1 Big 12). Verhulst also had 11 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots.
Sarah Andrews had 14 points and Dre'una Edwards and reserve Jana Van Gytenbeek each provided 13 points for Baylor (18-5, 7-6), which has lost three of its last five games. The Bears were trying for their second topping of a ranked team in five days after defeating then-No. 22 West Virginia.
The Sooners led 35-29 at halftime and then racked up 29 third-quarter points, outshooting the Bears 50 percent to 28.6 percent in the decisive period.
No. 2 Ohio State 80, Nebraska 47
Jacy Sheldon's 23 points and Cotie McMahon's 20 points propelled the Buckeyes in a runaway Big Ten victory over the Cornhuskers at Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State is up to No. 2 in the AP rankings this week, tying the highest position in school history.
The Buckeyes' 33-19 halftime lead expanded quickly when the hosts scored the first 13 points of the third quarter. The Buckeyes (22-3, 13-1 Big Ten) have won 12 in a row. McMahon also had 10 rebounds and four steals.
Nebraska (16-9, 8-6), coming off an upset of then-No. 2 Iowa on Sunday, was led by Alexis Markowski's nine points. The Cornhuskers committed 30 turnovers and attempted only three free throws.
No. 15 Connecticut 86, Xavier 40
Paige Bueckers scored 20 points, going 9-for-15 from the field with two 3-pointers, as the Huskies overpowered the Musketeers in Cincinnati.
Aaliyah Edwards had 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting and pulled in 10 rebounds for Connecticut (21-5, 13-0 Big East). Ashlynn Shade posted 14 points as the Huskies bounced back from a Sunday loss to No. 1 South Carolina.
Reserve guard Aizhanique Mayo's 14 points topped the scoring Xavier (1-21, 0-13), which shot 24.6 percent from the field and scored more than half of its points with a 22-point fourth quarter. The Musketeers' losing streak reached 13 games.
—Field Level Media