OU with historic run to turn it around vs. No. 24 Vanderbilt

Down much of the first half in front of a lifeless crowd that had zero reasons to get excited. Staring a 2-6 start in the SEC in the face, OU basketball woke up.

Finally.

Even if it’s just for one game, it was a game the Sooners had to have. They got it. OU put up a run for the ages in taking down visiting Vanderbilt 97-67 on Saturday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center.

OU trailed by as many as 13 in the first half and trailed 38-27 before everything turned. A 9-2 run to close the first half. Vandy scored the initial points of the second half, and OU scored the next 23. Yep, a 23-0 run or 32-4 dating back to the first half.

It was 59-42 at that point. Vandy cut it down to eight (60-52) before OU bounced back and emphatically put the game away.

“I was just talking to somebody about the pace,” Moser said. “It’s hard to get a pace going when they’re scoring or getting the offensive rebound and we’re fouling, like the last game and the beginning (today). You got to get some stops, and what I thought was the best, we switched our coverages to switching one through five, and I thought that was the biggest adjustment. They’re elite at cutting you up on different ball-screen coverages, and they were cutting us up.

“We switched, we made that, but we were able to get stops. What I liked was we were able to move the ball. I think five different guys hit paint-touch 3’s—hit 3’s moving the ball. We went down and we continued to guard. I think, we were on a run. We were able to get transition getting stops, and I think that’s such a key, because I think we’re very good in transition.”

OU Game No. 20 Takeaways

*You could just see Jalon Moore itching to get back in there. After picking up two offensive fouls in the first half, head coach Porter Moser was very selective in using Moore in the final eight minutes.

No such issues in the second half. No foul trouble, go out there and get it. Moore did just that, scoring 15 of his 19 points in the second half.

After having zero rebounds in the first half, Moore grabbed four in the second half.

Moore surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career.

“I knew, but I didn’t know I had gotten it until they said something,” Moore said. “It’s a blessing from God to even be in position to be able to do it. I’m blessed and that’s a great accomplishment.”

*The 32-4, 23-0 spurt? A lot of it once again was about Dayton Forsythe. It’s just a different kind of energy right now when he’s in.

More than that, though, it becomes infectious. He brings the entire team with him, and they start playing with that same sense of urgency.

You almost don’t even question it now. This is part of the OU plan. Forsythe ended with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals.

We also learned that assistant coach Brock Morris has nicknamed Forsythe ‘Sparky.’

“For nicknames, for him, that’s what he does,” Moser said. “He gives us so much energy, and the guys are loving it. Everyone’s calling him that, and he’s being great at what he does. He’s tough. He plays… he’s doing that with a great mindset, and he really gives us an edge on the bench.”

*The first shot for freshman Jeremiah Fears? A completely contested 3-pointer. But he drained it. Let’s not talk about that 0-point outing at Texas A&M anymore.

This was the all-around game Fears shows when he’s on. And he started to really feel like himself again during the second half.

Heck, the whole team was.

Fears filled it up again with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals. You live with the five turnovers when he’s doing all of that.

Up next

Well, it doesn’t get any easier because why would it? Time for OU (16-5, 3-5) to go to No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday evening. The Tigers just had another huge week, going to LSU and Ole Miss and going 2-0. Sooners-Tigers set for 8 p.m. tip.