Oklahoma is starting to figure some things out. After traveling to chilly Cincinnati for a date with a tough Bearcats team led by coach Wes Miller, the Sooners are back over .500 in Big 12 play with a 65-62 win Saturday afternoon. They have now won back-to-back Big 12 games after losing their previous two.
Saturday was far from easy, but in the best conference in the country, it was never going to be. After a challenging, all-around team effort to beat West Virginia, Oklahoma needed all hands on deck against a dangerous Cincinnati team. The Sooners and Bearcats exchanged buckets through the first half.
A common theme from Oklahoma’s first-half struggles during Big 12 play was foul trouble, and this was yet another first half where foul trouble plagued them.
Jalon Moore had six points but three fouls in the first half, while starting big man Sam Godwin tallied two of his own. Starting point guard Milos Uzan also fell victim to two fouls and a goose egg in the score column.
Cincinnati’s Simos Lukosis scored for the Bearcats early and often, with 10 of his team-leading 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
Javian McCollum led the way at the break for Oklahoma with 10 of his 16 points in the first frame.
The Sooners entered the break tied at 31 apiece, with Otega Oweh and Milos Uzan combining for just four points. Moser and his staff had to breathe a sigh of relief.
After the break, things changed for the Sooners, and Oklahoma, who had only led for brief stretches of the first half, began to find their footing thanks to much more inspired play from Oweh and Uzan. They performed much better in the second half. Oweh knocked down a big three to give Oklahoma a 51-46 lead early in the second half.
An Oweh putback dunk late in the game put Oklahoma ahead by seven with about two minutes remaining. The Bearcats scored the next four to pull within three after Josh Reed’s free throws with 28.7 seconds left. The Sooners played the foul game and knocked in their final four free throws to seal the deal.
Jalon Moore chipped in nine points and ten massive rebounds for Oklahoma. He’s now had back-to-back impactful games for his team.
John Hugley IV had 11 points off the bench as he was one of three double-digit scorers for Oklahoma on Saturday.
The Sooners had a balanced effort from everyone who played significant minutes, with six players chipping in at least seven points.
The win against Cincinnati also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bearcats and gave the Sooners their first win on the road since beating USC earlier in the season on a neutral court.
Oklahoma heads back home for to welcome their Red River rivals to the Lloyd Noble Center. The Texas Longhorns are coming off of a potentially season-saving win against a top-ten-ranked Baylor team on Saturday.
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