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OU basketball shows grit, earns win at Cincinnati

Bob Przybyloby:Bob Przybylo•01/20/24•

BPrzybylo

NCAA Basketball: Oklahoma at Cincinnati
Jan 20, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Otega Oweh (3) drives to the basket against Cincinnati Bearcats guard Josh Reed (10) in the first half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 conference wins don’t have to be pretty, and for OU, they especially don’t have to be when it’s on the road.

The Sooners, though, showed the grit when it mattered most again for head coach Porter Moser. OU did just enough down the stretch to earn a massive 69-65 victory at Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon.

OU is now 15-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12 and goes 2-0 this week.

OU had to ice the game in the final minute on the free throw line, and Rivaldo Soares and Le’Tre Darthard came through.

A very strange game where veterans like Milos Uzan and Sam Godwin couldn’t get going. OU, however, kept finding answers.

There would be a stretch where it’s Otega Oweh. Then times when Javian McCollum would be the guy. And Jalon Moore was always there to do the dirty work.

It is OU’s first win vs. Cincinnati since 1991.

Game 18 Takeaways from the Couch

*Oweh just wakes up in the second half. Another rough first half, but he exploded in the first four minutes. He scored eight of OU’s first 10 points in the second half. Tied 31-31 at the break, it was Oweh who made sure the Sooners got off to a great start.

He ended with 14 points and four rebounds.

*A scary moment for McCollum with an ankle injury around the 12-minute mark. But he returned and did his job. The shot didn’t always fall, but it led to offensive rebounding opportunities.

He did score a team-high 16 points to go with six rebounds.

*Moore picked up his third foul in the final seconds of the first half but played an incredibly smart second half. He was still his usual athletic self but never put himself in a bad spot.

The nine points were nice, but the 10 rebounds were huge.

*OU was initially getting trashed on the glass. But it didn’t stay that way. The Sooners finish with the 41-34 edge and a 13-12 advantage for offensive rebounds.

*Darthard and Soares don’t need to score 15 points apiece. What they did Saturday will work. Not just rely on shooting threes. They combined for 15 points on 4-for-6 shooting. And, when it mattered most, they went 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

OU shot 16 of 18 from the charity stripe. A game where you had to value each possession, each moment, and the Sooners did that, especially, from the line.

Up next

Here comes Texas. The Longhorns were ‘this close’ to entering Lloyd Noble Center on a three-game losing streak. Instead, Tyrese Hunter player hero in the final second to upset Baylor on Saturday afternoon. Texas at OU 6 p.m. Tuesday. A two-game homestand coming up, hosting Texas Tech on Saturday, too.

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