Oklahoma basketball: Takeaways from a second-half Cowboy ambush

Down by six at halftime, Oklahoma State came out of the locker room a completely different team and turned the second half into a Bedlam ambush of its men’s Oklahoma basketball rivals.

Oklahoma State 10-8, 2-4) opened up the second half with a three-pointer by Woody Newton that triggered an 11-3 run within the first two minutes that flipped the score in favor of the Cowboys at 34-33. From there, Oklahoma State was absolutely en fuego, outscoring the Sooners by 22 points over the final 20 minutes on the way to a 72-56 victory.

The second half for the Sooners was like trying to stop a runaway truck on a steep downhill drive. After shooting just 31 percent from the field and 14 percent from deep in the first half, the Cowboys came out on fire in the second half, shooting 55 percent and 60 percent (6 of 10) on three-balls.

The momentum for the home team continued to build as the second half progressed, and there wasn’t anything the Sooners could do to stop it. Head coach Porter Moser lamented OU’s ability to get defensive stops in the second half. When the Sooners did get one, they weren’t able to capitalize on the offensive end, which enabled the Cowboys to gradually stretch out the lead with reached 18 points during the final minute of play.

Grant Sherfield was largely responsible for Oklahoma’s 30-24 advantage at the break, scoring half of the Sooners first-half points on five-of-seven shooting. But OU’s leading scorer was held silent in the second half, misfiring on all six of his field-goal attempts. Jacob Groves was the only other Sooner to score in double figures with 10.

Four different Oklahoma State starters finished in double figures led by Bryce Thompson’s 19 points.

"“I saw an Oklahoma State team (whose) confidence just exploded,” Moser said in his postgame interview session. “You just saw the confidence come through, and they just went on a great run. They completely dominated the second half.”"

Oklahoma State scored 48 second-half points, outscoring Oklahoma 48-26. That literally was the story of the game. It was the most points the Sooners have allowed in a half this season.

“We’re disappointed with the loss, no question,” Moser said, shaking his head. “We gotta bounce back.”

That may be easier said than done. Oklahoma (11-7, 2-4) returns home on Saturday for 3 p.m. game against No. 21 Baylor.

Three takeaways that tell the tale of 2023 Bedlam Round I

• Oklahoma’s inability to string together a series of stops defensively, compounded by the Sooners’ inability to put the ball in the basket consistently at the offensive end was the largest single factor in suffering a 22-point swing between the first and second halves, resulting in a 16-point loss. “It was the first game this season,” Moser said, “that we let our offense (or absence thereof) dictate our defense.”
• The Oklahoma State defense forced 14 Sooner turnovers leading to 14 OSU points.
• The Sooners trailed 57-52 with 6:24 left to go. Oklahoma closed out the game on a 15-4 run. OU’s six Big 12 opponents have now outscored the Sooners 80-48 in the final five minutes of the game. That pretty well sums up their 2-4 conference record to date.