It came down to the wire.
After a Jamal Bieniemy miss with 16 seconds left in the game, Mississippi State had no timeouts and raced down the floor. The Bulldogs were forced to take a contested jumpsuit, missing and giving Oklahoma a big NCAA Tournament resume building win.
Here are three reasons why the Sooners took down Mississippi State 63-62.
HELLO, ALONDES WILLIAMS
As Mississippi State started to make its run in the second half, one Oklahoma player kept the Sooners afloat.
Junior college transfer Alondes Williams came alive in the second half, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three. The Bulldogs tied the game at 38 before a Williams’ 3-pointer and steal that turned into a dunk pushed Oklahoma back ahead by five.
MISSISSIPPI STATE FOUL TROUBLE
There is an ‘if’ in Saturday’s game.
Star Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry picked up two early fouls and then a technical foul to give him three early in the first half. Perry, who had averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds in the previous three games, was forced to sit for majority of the game.
No telling how his presence would’ve effected the outcome of the game.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Oklahoma’s defense is a tough task to go against.
Although undersized, the Sooners dealt with the size and physicality of the Mississippi State bigs inside. Overall, Oklahoma held Mississippi State to 38 percent shooting for the game.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]