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OU Basketball: North Carolina Hands Oklahoma First Defeat at Jumpman Invitational

Turnovers allowed North Carolina to build an early lead that proved insurmountable as OU's undefeated season came to an end in Charlotte.
Ryan Chapman|
OU Basketball: North Carolina Hands Oklahoma First Defeat at Jumpman Invitational
OU Basketball: North Carolina Hands Oklahoma First Defeat at Jumpman Invitational

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Oklahoma Sooners

North Carolina’s athleticism and shot making proved to be too much for Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

The No. 7-ranked Sooners couldn’t overcome an early flurry of turnovers to stay unbeaten, falling to the No. 11 Tar Heels 81-69 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, in the Jumpman Invitational.

OU (10-1) turned the ball over 10 times in the first half alone after entering the contest averaging 13.1 mistakes per game, and North Carolina (8-3) pounced.

Led by veteran scorers R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot, the Tar Heels seized momentum in the de facto home atmosphere.

North Carolina opened the game on a 12-2 run, putting the Sooners deep in the hole for the first time this year, but Oklahoma appeared to steady the ship.

Rivaldo Soares drew a shooting foul beyond the 3-point line and then hit a turnaround jumper to add five quick points, as OU tried to find its footing.

A few minutes later, Jalon Moore cashed in an offensive board with an empathic dunk to cut North Carolina’s lead to three with 10 minutes until halftime, but the Tar Heels had an answer.

A pair of turnovers led to North Carolina quickly building a nine point advantage, and the Tar Heels took an eight point lead into halftime.

Porter Moser’s team played with plenty of energy out of the intermission, trading buckets with the Tar Heels, but Oklahoma was unable to pull within two possessions until three minutes remained in the game.

Otega Oweh hit a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to five points, but Davis immediately responded with a 3-pointer, effectively ending OU’s comeback bid.

The Sooners struggled to sink free throws, making just 16-of-24 attempts from the line, which paired with a season-high 18 turnovers was a recipe for disaster.

A nice offensive night from Oweh, who led Oklahoma with 23 points including 10-of-11 shooting from the free throw line, and Javian McCollum heating up late, scoring 14 points, allowed OU to hang around.

Moore finished with nine points and five boards and Milos Uzan added another 10 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the missed free throws and the turnovers.

North Carolina shot 43 percent from the floor to OU’s 40 percent field goal shooting, and the Sooners actually out rebounded the Tar Heels 41-34. But UNC scored 24 points off turnovers to Oklahoma’s 11 points, limiting the ability for Moser’s team to get out and run to generate easy offense.

Up next, the Sooners will return to the Lloyd Noble Center to take on Central Arkansas on Dec. 28. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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