OU Basketball: Oklahoma's Upset Effort Against No. 14 Baylor Falls Short
In the face of recent results, Porter Moser’s team showed signs of life.
Riding a five-game losing streak in conference play, Oklahoma pushed the No. 14-ranked Baylor Bears in Waco.
Ultimately the Bears prevailed 82-72 on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center, completing the regular-season sweep of the Sooners, but another lineup shakeup helped the Sooners stay in the game.
True freshman Otega Oweh got his first career start, taking Bijan Cortes’ spot in the lineup, and the return of castaway Joe Bamisile gave OU enough athleticism to hang with the Bears.
Entering the night, Bamisile had played just 25 minutes of action in Big 12 play, with 19 of those minutes coming in Oklahoma’s last outing against West Virginia.
But on Wednesday, Bamisile was part of OU’s closing lineup as the Sooners cut the Baylor advantage to five points with 3:16 left. Still, Oklahoma was unable to inch any closer than that throughout the final moments of the contest.
Bamisile gave the Sooners 10 big points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting, as well as pulling down seven rebounds to help OU break even on the rebounding battle 34-34.
The work on the glass was a departure from Oklahoma’s 62-60 loss to the Bears previously this year, when Baylor pulled down 17 offensive rebounds and converted those extra opportunities for 30 second-chance points.
Oweh also added 10 points and six rebounds in his start, as he was one of eight Sooner players to connect on two or more field goals on the night.
Oklahoma freshman Otega Oweh tied his career scoring high with 10 points in his first start on Wednesday night.
Chris Jones / USA TODAY Sports
Grant Sherfield led an OU attack that drained 8-of-23 attempts from deep, as Oklahoma’s leading scorer ended with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.
Overall, the Sooners shot 49 percent from the floor, but Baylor forced 14 turnovers to limit OU’s chances on offense.
The Bears finished shooting 47 percent from the field, but only coughed the ball up seven times.
Baylor still tallied more second-chance points, outscoring Oklahoma 14-6, and the Bears got to the free throw line 14 more times.
Freshman guard Milos Uzan also added 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting, and Jalen Hill and Tanner Groves also added eight points apiece.
Now the Sooners will return to Norman to host No. 9-ranked Kansas.
Tip-off between Oklahoma and the Jayhawks is slated for noon Saturday, and the game will be broadcast on CBS.
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