NORMAN, Okla. – A solid start proved to be too much for the Knights as they fell to Oklahoma, 69-52, at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.
The Knights (9-2, 0-1 Big 12) recorded 35 boards while the Sooners (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) tallied 15 steals and 18 assists.
Kaitlin Peterson led the Knights with 14 points marking her 10th game with double-digit scoring this season. Mya Burns and Laila Jewett joined Peterson with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Achol Akot and Jayla Kelly crashed the boards for a team-high seven rebounds each and Akot added in 10 points.
The Knights came out hot with an 11-0 run to start their inaugural season in the Big 12. UCF held the Sooners to 0-6 from beyond the arc to end the first, 21-15.
Oklahoma adjusted to the Knights’ offense limiting them to just five points in the second. A 9-0 run from Oklahoma led to a three-pointer from Lexy Keys to tie the game up 26-26 and back-to-back Sooner layups caused the Knights to head into the half down, 30-26.
The Knights and Sooners went basket for basket in the third but Oklahoma went on a 9-3 run to end the third, 49-36.
The Black and Gold attempted to chip away at the Sooners’ lead in the fourth with five points in the first 1:03 although Oklahoma never relinquished the lead to earn the 69-52 win.
The Knights will return to action on Jan. 3 when they host Oklahoma State in their Big 12 home opener in Addition Financial Arena. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.