OU Hoops: Arkansas’ Marshawn Powell too much in 81-78 win over Sooners
By Joe Buettner
Dec 4, 2012; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Marshawn Powell (33) looks to make a pass under pressure from Oklahoma Sooners forward Amath M’Baye
| Team Stat Comparison | ||
| Oklahoma (6-2) | Split | Arkansas (4-3) |
| 78 | Points | 81 |
| 31-56 (55.4%) | Field Goals (%) | 30-57 (52.6%) |
| 6-15 (40.0%) | 3 PT (%) | 9-22 (40.9%) |
| 10-14 (71.4%) | Free Throws (%) | 12-16 (75.0%) |
| 30 (10) | Rebounds (Off) | 24 (8) |
| 14 | Assists | 21 |
| 7 | Steals | 6 |
| 17 | Turnovers | 13 |
| 14 | Fouls | 16 |
Oklahoma has been in plenty of close contests, but the six-win Sooners could not find a way to win in Fayetteville. Arkansas had a response to every OU run, and ended their three game losing streak at the hands of Lon Kruger’s squad.
In their first game of December, Oklahoma fell to Arkansas, 81-78, in a tight ball game.
The Razorback win was powered by a 33 point performance from Marshawn Powell, who also added six rebounds and five assists, and made a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach with seconds remaining.
Oklahoma jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but it would not last. Arkansas is a team that can score, and they made OU pay, shooting 40.9% from the perimeter and hitting 30-of-57 shots from the field.
It was definitely not the kind of game OU wanted to get themselves in to in Fayetteville. However, they did a superb job of keeping it competitive.
Oklahoma took Arkansas to the final seconds, but could not take advantage of an opportunity to take the lead trailing by one point late. Then with a few seconds left, the Sooners could not successfully inbound the ball and get a good look to tie up the game.
Leading the Sooners was Romero Osby with a team-high 22 points and six rebounds. Osby’s 9-12 performance from the floor was just not enough to overcome a tough Razorbacks squad at home.
Amath M’Baye put in 14 points for the Sooners, and Steven Pledger finished with 12 of his own. The Sooners nearly matched Arkansas’ monster day from the three-point line, and if one or two more fall in favor of Oklahoma, it is a totally different ball game.
It was a good learning experience for a team still trying to gel its youth with all of its returning players. They will get plenty of time to recover from the loss as their December slate is a bit lighter than their November schedule, which asked seven games of the Sooners with only two of those games coming in Norman.
The Sooners take the court again Dec. 15 against the Texas A&M Aggies in the All-College Classic. As usual, the game will be held in Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.