Chavez Leads No. 6 Sooners to Midweek Win Over Kansas City

Wednesday, November 12

Norman, Okla.

8 PM

University of Oklahoma

2-1,0-0SEC

Kansas City

1-2,0-0Summit League

Kansas City

Oklahoma

Chavez Leads No. 6 Sooners to Midweek Win Over Kansas City

November 12, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score OU 89, KC 61 WBB - Final Photo Gallery

NORMAN (AP) — Freshman Aaliyah Chavez made 7 of 10 of her shots from 3-point range and scored a career-high 29 points, as No. 6 Oklahoma pulled away in the second half to beat Kansas City 89-61 on Wednesday night in Norman.

Chavez, a consensus five-star recruit, was feeling it early. She scored 15 points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first half, which included two 3-pointers, then kept it going after the break by making 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc.

Payton Verhulst scored 13 points and Sahara Williams added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Sooners (2-1), who were coming off a 73-59 road loss to No. 3 UCLA on Monday night.

Elauni Bennett scored 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting with eight rebounds, and Kelby Bannerman and Tierra Trotter added 11 points each for Kansas City (1-2).

The Roos, members of the Summit League, are coached by former OU player Dionnah-Jackson-Durrett.

Oklahoma led 20-13 midway through the first quarter but got sloppy on offense, committing three turnovers on entry passes to open players under the basket. The Roos fought back behind Bennett's hot shooting. She made all five of her shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and her 3-point shot to start the second quarter gave the Roos a 26-24 lead.

But the Sooners outscored Kansas City 23-7 after that to lead 47-33 at halftime. OU extended their lead to 72-57 on a 3-pointer by Chavez early in the fourth quarter and led 80-59 on a layup by Brooklyn Stewart with three minutes left in the game.

Oklahoma hosts North Alabama on Friday, November 14, at 10:30 a.m. CT for Field Trip Day before heading to Cullowhee, N.C., to face Western Carolina on Sunday, November 16, at 2:30 p.m. CT.

POSTGAME NOTES

• No. 6 Oklahoma outscored Kansas City by a combined 26 points in the second and fourth quarters, rolling to a 89-61 win at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman on Wednesday night.

• True freshman Aaliyah Chavez, the unanimous 2025 national high school player of the year, erupted for 29 points on 9 of 13 shooting, hitting 7 of 10 from deep and adding four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Her seven made threes tied Aaryn Ellenberg for the second most by an OU freshman in a single game, trailing only Taylor Robertson's eight. Her 29 points were the fourth most by a Sooner freshman in program history behind Courtney Paris (36), Ellenberg (34) and Gabby Gregory (30).

• Chavez is the first freshman nationally since at least 1999 to record 29 points on 13 or fewer field goal attempts with seven made 3-pointers, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks in a game. Only three players regardless of class have reached that stat line since 1999: Chavez tonight, Becca Hittner at Drake in 2020 under Jennie Baranczyk and TCU's Emily Carter in 2010.

• Three other Sooners reached double figures in the 28-point win: Payton Verhulst (13 points), Sahara Williams (12) and Brooklyn Stewart (11).

• Williams led the Sooners with eight rebounds and now averages 11.3 rebounds per game. She is one of only three SEC players and the only non-center averaging at least 11.0 rebounds this season.

• Sooner freshmen Keziah Lofton (seven points) and Emma Tolan (three points) each scored their first collegiate baskets on Wednesday night. French freshman Daffa Cissoko also made her debut, logging two minutes in the fourth quarter.

• The Sooners shot 55.4% on the night and held Kansas City to 30.5%, improving to 87-4 under Baranczyk when shooting a higher percentage than their opponent. OU went 10 of 19 from deep for 52.6%, marking the first time since Nov. 13, 2024, against Western Carolina that the Sooners have shot 50% or better from three on 15 or more attempts.

• After committing only nine turnovers in Monday's loss to No. 3 UCLA, OU gave it away eight times in the first quarter but settled in, turning it over just seven times across the final three periods. The Sooners finished with 20+ assists for the 78th time under Baranczyk, improving to 69-9 in those games.

• Oklahoma hosts North Alabama on Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center for its annual Field Trip Day. The Sooners are expected to welcome a program-record 8,500 elementary and middle school students. The game will air on SEC Network+ and is OU's third contest in a six-day stretch that includes nearly 4,500 miles of travel.