It was a one-point game late in the first half, but the Oklahoma Sooners turned up the defensive pressure to pull away from the Green Bay Phoenix in their 81-47 win on Saturday night.
Green Bay went on a 5-0 run to make the score 21-20 with 5:43 left in the first half, but the Sooners took over with defensive pressure and efficient shooting to go on a 15-0 run to close the first half with a 36-20 lead.
And the second half wasn’t much different. The Sooners’ defense was too much for the Phoenix. After the break, Oklahoma outscored Green Bay 45-27.
[autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] led the way for the Sooners with 12 points, but it was his work at the defensive end that sparked Oklahoma’s huge win. He had seven steals in just 24 minutes of action.
On the evening, Oklahoma shot 52% from the field. Even though they continued to struggle from three, it didn’t matter as their defensive pressure provided extra possessions and they remain incredibly efficient from inside the three-point arch.
The Sooners turned 20 Green Bay turnovers into 27 points and Oklahoma had 44 points in the paint on the evening.
In addition to Oweh’s big game, [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] (11) and [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] (13) scored in double-figures off the bench.
For the first time since the second game of the season, [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] failed to reach double-digit points. He scored nine points on 3 of 8 shooting and was 1 of 3 from three. Though he didn’t have a lot of points, he was incredibly effective as a passer, recording eight assists.
Now at 10-0, the Oklahoma Sooners are one of just four unbeaten teams remaining in Division I.
Porter Moser has his team playing great basketball at both ends of the floor because of their athleticism and tenacity. Their aggressiveness helps the Sooners get to the rim to get high-percentage shots and on defense to be able to create turnovers.
The 34-point win is the second-largest margin of victory for the Sooners this season. They beat Mississippi Valley State by 39 in the second game of the season.
They’re next big test comes when they travel to Charlotte to take on the UNC Tar Heels in the Jumpman Invitational. The Tar Heels are coming off of a four-point loss to Kentucky on Saturday and sit at 7-3 on the season.
UNC serves as the Sooners’ last big nonconference test with three games remaining before Big 12 play begins.
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