Oklahoma's Spark Off the Bench Secures Win Over Ole Miss in ESPN Events Invitational Championship
Oklahoma (6-1) secured its first piece of hardware of the 2022-23 season with a 59-55 win against Ole Miss (6-1) in the ESPN Events Invitational. The win over the Rebels marks the Sooners’ sixth straight victory.
In addition to the championship trophy, Oklahoma's Grant Sherfield was named tournament MVP.
Sherfield led the way in the scoring department with 12 points, but the story of the afternoon was Oklahoma’s bench changing the game. Sam Godwin added 11 points and six rebounds, while Bijan Cortes contributed 10 points, three rebounds and two assists on a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor.
Oklahoma's front court held strong Sunday, as Tanner Groves chipped in an efficient 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, and the duo of Jalen Hill and Jacob Groves helped with seven points each.
After dropping the home-opener to Sam Houston State, the Oklahoma Sooners have seemed to smooth over a lot of issues on the hardwood. Porter Moser’s team came out with that same fire against the Rebels on Sunday afternoon, putting together an efficient first half of basketball.
In a back-and-forth first half, the Sooners once again relied on Sherfield to carry the scoring load. With 7:50 remaining in the opening frame, Sherfield drilled a step-back 3-pointer followed by a pull-up triple in transition, giving Oklahoma a 21-19 lead.
Outside shooting was a surprising positive for Moser’s team in the first 20 minutes of the contest. The Sooners drilled 4-of-6 3-pointers in the first half to score with the Rebels.
Oklahoma survived stretched of scoring droughts to stay within striking distance. At halftime, Ole Miss held a 34-32 lead.
The Sooners’ bench unit took over at the beginning of the second half. Cortes and Godwin connected on back-to-back alley-oops, and after a Sherfield lay-up with 9:16 left in the second half, Oklahoma took a 48-42 lead.
Ole Miss responded by way of Amaree Abram who provided big buckets both inside and out. His bucket in the paint with 7:02 left cut Oklahoma’s lead to two.
With 4:59 left in the game, Abram drilled a pull-up jumper to give the Rebels a 53-52 lead. The freshman guard would finish with 17 points, leading all scorers. His pull-up jumper prompted Moser to return to his bench lineup and put Cortes and Godwin back in the game. The move paid off.
Cortes’ ability to operate the pick-and-roll and finish off the glass gave Oklahoma the advantage it needed down the stretch. Back-to-back lay-ups from the sophomore point guard gave the Sooners a 56-55 lead with 3:13 left in the second half.
A Tanner Groves free throw with 22 seconds remaining gave Oklahoma a 59-55 lead, and after multiple defensive stops, the Sooners locked down a big time non-conference victory.
Moser's team-first mindset was on display Sunday, as Oklahoma netted four double-digit scorers and shot 53.5 percent from the floor.
Next up for the Sooners is a road battle against a traditional powerhouse in the Villanova Wildcats next Saturday. Villanova, however, is off to an uncharacteristic 2-4 start this season, giving Oklahoma a unique opportunity to capitalize.
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