NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Zya Vann scored 18 points and Peyton Verhulst had 16 points and nine rebounds as No. 10 Oklahoma rallied to beat Florida 81-74 on Thursday night.
Aaliyah Chavez added 16 points and seven assists and made all 10 of her free throws for Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5 Southeastern Conference), which overcame poor shooting in the first half.
Liv McGill had 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Florida (15-12, 3-9), which held the Sooners scoreless for four minutes in the second quarter and led 37-26 at halftime. Me’Arah O’Neal scored 14 points and Jade Weathersby added 11 for the Gators.
Oklahoma played a forgettable first half. The Sooners made 10 of 36 shots (28%) and were one of nine from behind the arc while the Sooners’ two best players — Chavez and Raegen Beers, struggled.
Beers picked up two quick fouls and played just four minutes while Chavez missed her first seven shots and extended a streak of missed 3s to 17.
But Oklahoma found its touch after the break, outscoring the Gators 28-20 in the third quarter to pull within 57-54. Chavez had five assists, including two that resulted in layups by Verhulst and Sahara Williams to end the quarter.
Williams, who finished with eight points, reached 1,000 points for her career on a first-quarter layup.
A three-point play by Verhulst with 5:59 left in the game tied the score at 64-all, then Chavez found Williams for a layup to give Oklahoma a 66-64 lead, it’s first since 8-2.
Oklahoma got a jumper from Verhulst, a 3-pointer from Vann and a pair of free throws from Chavez to extend the margin to 73-66.
Up next
Florida: Visits Mississippi State on Feb. 19.
Oklahoma: Visits No. 23 Alabama on Sunday.
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