Oklahoma Sooners Basketball: Sooners Fall Short, 68-66

Oklahoma experienced yet another heart-breaker Monday night, dropping this Bedlam matchup 68-66 very late into the game. The Sooners’ loss to Texas in the final seconds could be felt in this one, as both occurred in a very similar fashion. OU’s 7-game home winning streak against the Cowboys has ended. Here is what you need to know:

• The Cowboys began the game grabbing four quick offensive boards in the first five minutes of the game. But the hot shooting from the Sooners gave OU the edge, going up 10-8 with 15:36 to go in the half and shooting 71 percent from the floor.
• A promising sign early into the game for Oklahoma was seeing Christian James start to look a little more comfortable on the court. His five points by the 11:30 mark helped OU build a 17-12 lead. Kameron McGusty also added six points.
• Not sure if the Cowboys RSVP’d, but Khadeem Lattin was having a block party. With 7:51 to go in the half, Lattin had three blocks, helping push OU out to a 24-17 lead.
• Both teams were dialing it up from downtown. OU and OSU combined for a total of six made 3-pointers with 3:31 to go in the half, with the Sooners holding a one-point edge over the Cowboys.
• Despite knocking down 50 percent of their shots, OU held only a one-point lead over OSU at halftime, 36-35. McGusty paved the way with 13 points at the half, and shot 50 percent himself, as well. Jawun Evans held the game-high at the half with 14 points.
• A sloppy OU squad coming out of halftime allowed Oklahoma State to gain its biggest lead of the game of four points going into the first media timeout. OU was outscored 8-3 in the first 4:14 of the second half.
• The Cowboys were unconscious, going on a 15-4 run in a little over four minutes, and extending their second-half lead to 10 points. Kruger was forced to call a timeout with 12:25 to go in the game to try to cool down Oklahoma State.
• A pair of Dante Buford 3-pointers was pivotal in OU’s 9-0 run to cut the lead to one point. But Phil Forte ended the streak, and Oklahoma State were up 56-52 with 7:55 left in the game.
• Oklahoma State started struggling from the field, as the Sooners caught fire. Oklahoma grabbed the lead back with just 3:47 left in the game, up 62-61.
• With very little time left, after a scrum on the court, Forte knocks down the game-winning 3-pointer. McGusty had a chance at the buzzer to win the game but his shot was blocked.

3 Takeaways

1. The Sooners allowed Oklahoma State to grab 20 offensive rebounds. One of these led to the game-winning shot from Forte. Oklahoma was also outrebounded by 13 tonight, and this was pivotal to OSU’s success.
2. Despite some late-game mistakes, McGusty is and will be a very special player. He scored 22 points and grabbed four rebounds, and managed to keep OU fighting throughout this game. He has a great knack for getting to the rim, and now is developing a lethal shot from the outside.
3. Some of the veterans stepped up tonight as well, with Woodard contributing seven points, Lattin eight points, James seven points and Buford with 11 points. There was still a lack of consistency as a team, but they showed some real fight, once again, down the stretch.

Oklahoma next will travel to Lubbock to take on the Red Raiders at 6:00 PM CT. The game will be shown on ESPNU.