Oklahoma Rolls Past Missouri State in NIT First Round
NORMAN — Oklahoma shrugged off a slow start to stroll to a first-round NIT victory on Tuesday night.
Hosting an old foe from Porter Moser’s Missouri Valley Conference days, the Sooners dispatched the Missouri State Bears 89-72 inside the Lloyd Noble Center.
The win moved OU to 19-15 on the year, as the Sooners' next matchup will be against St. Bonaventure.
Missouri State’s season came to a close with the loss, and the Bears finished 23-11 on the year.
Before the game on Monday, Moser said the hardest game in the NIT can often be the first contest, as the team is still reeling from the disappointment of missing the NCAA Tournament.
"They should be proud of themselves. It's a life lesson," Moser said in a press conference after the game. "... When they walked out of here (Sunday), we were like 'Man, we have to turn around here and play.' We regrouped on Monday and we just talked about it. We talked about the life lesson of how you react when it doesn't go your way. That's what character is.
" ... I thought they played hard, they played spirited and they beat a great team."
The Bears hoped to capitalize on the Sooners' disappointment as they came out firing on offense.
Oklahoma committed four straight turnovers in the middle of the first half, and Missouri State took advantage, building a 23-19 lead with 9:31 left in the half.
After the next media timeout, Moser rallied his team.
Seniors Jordan Goldwire and Umoja Gibson responded, giving the Sooners an offensive boost to take a 47-41 halftime lead.
Out of the halftime intermission, Oklahoma never looked back.
"Mo, Jordan Goldwire and Tanner (Groves) were terrific in the first half," Moser said. "I challenged some other guys. I didn't think we got great production from our bench in the first half. I thought C.J. Noland, Ethan and Marvin gave us great minutes in the second half."
Gibson said he and Goldwire made it a point to set the tone for the rest of the team to lock into the NIT.
"We were disappointed with the decision that was made for us not getting in the NCAA Tournament," Gibson said. "But I think right afterwards everybody left and I seen Jordan had posted something on Instagram and I hit him up in the DM and I was like, 'Bro, I don’t know how you’re feeling. But we can make some noise and do something that ain’t been done here before.' And he was with me.
"And I felt like our approach to practices, it changed the mindset for everybody else."
Ethan Chargois hit a wide-open corner 3 with 12:35 left in the game that capped off a 13-2 Sooner run and opened up a 17-point advantage.
Josh Callaway / SI Sooners
Josh Callaway / SI Sooners
Josh Callaway / SI Sooners
From there, Oklahoma coasted across the finish.
Gibson finished with a game-high 28 points as the sharpshooter from Waco knocked down 5-of-10 from deep. Goldwire supported Gibson’s outburst with another 15 points, and dished out eight assists.
"I thought Jordan was the key, and I thought he had the best mentality and edge coming out," Moser said. "He was probably who I was worried about the most.
" ... That’s probably who I was worried about the most because he was crushed. He really put everything into getting this thing, and to his credit, he was the one that was just most ready to play. That was great to see."
Isiaih Mosley did everything he could to keep the Bears in the game, scoring 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting while also adding 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to pull the first-round upset.
Now, the Sooners said they're focused on finishing on a high in Madison Square Garden.
"You get to end the tournament in New York," Goldwire said. " ... What better place to end our careers than in New York? So I mean, that’s our goal. And no matter who we play, we’re gonna come ready."
Oklahoma's next opponent became known later Tuesday night when St. Bonaventure beat Colorado to advance to play the Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center.
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