No. 15 Oklahoma (22-4, 12-3 Big 12) defeated Kansas (16-9, 6-8) 86-80 in Lawrence on Sunday.
The victory gives the Sooners a half-game advantage over No. 17 Texas for first place in the Big 12.
The Sooners held Kansas scoreless the final 3:12 of the game to secure the victory. Senior forward Madi Williams gave OU breathing room after knocking down a pair of free throws to make it an 84-80 Oklahoma lead with 37 seconds to play.
Williams led the Sooners with 23 points on 8 of 15 shooting. Williams also grabbed five rebounds and collected five steals.
Senior guard Ana Llanusa tallied 18 points and made 4 of 5 3-point attempts. Senior forward Liz Scott registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Scott scored nine of the Sooners’ 27 first quarter points. After a back-and-forth dominant offensive display, the teams were knotted up at 27 heading into the second quarter.
OU struggled to contain Kansas senior guard Zakiyah Franklin, who scored a career-high 30 points and dished six assists. Kansas junior center Taiyanna Jackson tallied 19 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.
Both teams shot 31-for-64 (48%) from the field, with OU’s 10 3-pointers providing an edge over the Jayhawks’ eight. Additionally, the Sooners committed seven turnovers to Kansas’ 12.
Despite leading the NCAA in assists per game (21.5), the Sooners dished 19 to Kansas’ 20 in Sunday’s affair. OU grabbed 22 offensive rebounds in its 80-74 victory over Kansas on Jan. 14, but was held to 10 on Sunday.
Next, OU will face No. 17 Texas (20-7, 11-3 Big 12) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Norman.
This story was edited by Colton Sulley.