For the first 20 minutes at Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday, it appeared that if Oklahoma was to survive visiting Ole Miss and maintain its undefeated record at home, the Sooners were going to have to withstand a 3-point bombardment.
Twenty-seven of Ole Miss' 41 first-half points came on made 3-balls as the Rebels shot 60% (9 of 15) from behind the arc to keep the game close and trailed Oklahoma by just two points, 43-41, at the half.
The Rebels went into Saturday's game averaging 7.4 3-point baskets per game. They made five of their first six 3-point shots against the Sooners, with freshman 3-point marksman Patton Pinkins draining three of four from long range, and teammate Malik Dia's three of five to fuel the Rebels' first-half onslaught.
The Sooners made six 3-pointers of their own in the first half, but complemented their perimeter shooting, outscoring Ole Miss 20-6 in the paint in the opening half with all five starters contributing four or more points.
Both teams started off the game with a hot hand. Ole Miss made seven of its first 10 shots from the field, and Oklahoma countered making eight of its first 12. There were 13 lead changes in the first 10 minutes. The Sooners trailed 24-21 before Ole Miss went scoreless over the next seven minutes, missing 12 straight shots, allowing OU to push out to a 32-24 advantage. The Sooners never trailed after that.
Oklahoma stretched its two-point halftime advantage to eight, 59-51, in the first five minutes of the second half. Ole Miss battled back to within three, at 65-62, with 8:08 remaining, but the Sooners went on a 21-8 run to finish out the game and slammed the door shut on the Rebels' upset bid.
The Sooners committed just seven turnovers in the game and just one after halftime, while also shutting down the Ole Miss success from long range in the second half. After going 9-of-15 in 3-point shooting in the first 20 minutes, the Rebels found the bottom of the basket just once in 11 tries in the second half.
Xzayvier Brown, a transfer from St. Joseph's, was the offensive star for the Sooners on Saturday, scoring a season-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting despite battling the flu during the week. Five Sooners reached double figures. Pinkins led Ole Miss with a game-high 25 points and Dia contributed 17.
The Oklahoma men will face another opponent from Mississippi in their next outing on Wednesday, traveling to Starkville to take on Mississippi State.
This is the most balanced OU offensive team under Porter Moser
Oklahoma shot 51.7% for the game against Ole Miss, the seventh time in 14 games this season the Sooners have shot 50% or better. Four starters and five Sooners overall contributed double figures in the scoring column, with four of the five totaling at least 14 points. Four OU starters are averaging double figures for the season, and seven Sooners are averaging at least 8.0 points per game, making this group the most balanced offensive team in Porter Moser's five seasons as head coach.
Sooners control the boards and commit just 7 turnovers
The Sooners outrebounded Ole Miss 40-33, outscoring the Rebels 36-18 down low in the paint and contributing to 14 second-chance points. It marked the 10th time in 14 outings this season that OU outrebounded its opponent, underscoring the length and athleticism that Moser added to the roster this season to give the Sooners a stronger presence in the front court and at the rim. Former Tennessee transfer Mohamed Wague pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds, including five of the offensive variety.
Additionally, Ole Miss came into the game on Saturday averaging 5.1 blocked shots per game. The Rebels recorded just two against Oklahoma, however, while the Sooners were credited for six blocks.
OU locks down perimeter defense after absent-minded first half
While Ole Miss was raining 3s from deep in the first half, the Oklahoma defense seemed reluctant to defend the perimeter, enabling the Rebels to have open looks behind the 3-point line. The Sooners wised up after halftime to Ole Miss' 60% first-half accuracy, limiting the Rebels to just 1-of-11 from 3-point range in the second half.