OU Basketball: Shorthanded Oklahoma Overcomes Cincinnati in Crucial Overtime Win
NORMAN — As the calendar flips to March, style points go out the window.
Oklahoma, shorthanded after losing guard Javian McCollum for a crucial Big 12 battle against Cincinnati, looked lost on offense for a majority of the contest.
But with 17.4 seconds left on the clock, senior Le’Tre Darthard elevated to let a three fly right in front of the Sooners’ bench.
Darthard knocked the bottom out of the net, putting OU in front 67-66, which was just the second lead of the night for the hosts.
That wouldn’t be the last twist, however.
Oklahoma got the miss needed from Cincinnati’s Simas Lukosius on the other end, but OU center Sam Godwin was whistled for a foul on Aziz Bandaogo to send him to the line for two free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining.
A 58.9 percent free throw shooter on the year entering the night, Bandaogo split the pair, leveling the contest.
The inbounds play allowed OU’s Otega Oweh to get down the court and get a shot off, but it didn’t go to send the contest to overtime.
Both teams struggled to score in the extra five minutes, but OU prevailed 74-71 thanks to a pair of free throws from Darthard with 13.3 seconds left. Lukosius’ desperation 3-pointer hit off the front of the rim, sealing the win for the home team at the Lloyd Noble Center.
"That was just one of the guttiest performances I've seen under the circumstances," OU coach Porter Moser said after the win. "You just look at the circumstances with Senior Night, obviously every game is huge. In nine days we played three of the most physical teams in the country. At Iowa State, Houston and Cincinnati in nine days with these guys.
"... I couldn't be more happy for those guys. I'm just happy for them because they left it all on the floor tonight."
Final Box Score
OU Stats
The victory was crucial for OU’s tournament resume, as the Sooners now sit at 20-10 on the season and 8-9 in Big 12 play.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projected Oklahoma as a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday morning after dropping four of the last five games, a skid that snapped on Tuesday night.
For Moser's money, the conversation about the Tournament is over and Oklahoma's ticket is punched.
"Absolutely," he said. "No doubt."
Cincinnati dropped to 17-13 overall and 6-11 in league play with the loss.
Oklahoma’s offense sputtered early, digging into an 18-5 hole, but a pair of veterans stepped up to get Porter Moser’s team back into the game.
Rivaldo Soares, who has battled an ankle injury since going down on the court in OU’s 79-62 loss to Baylor salvaged the first half.
The veteran guard scored 10 points, helping the Sooners cut the deficit to just one point headed into the break.
"He's just so passionate," said Moser, "and he wears his heart on his sleeve and he does everything with passion... He was emotional tonight. I was emotional tonight. He wants to get in the NCAA Tournament so bad. He knows this is his last shot. He knows what this game meant."
After halftime, OU’s shooting didn’t get much better.
Oklahoma connected on just 32 percent of its field goal attempts in the second half, but forward Jalon Moore started to get downhill and helped the Sooners live at the free throw line.
Moore score four of his 11 second half points from the stripe, helping the hosts outshoot Cincinnati 34-11 from the free throw line over the course of the game.
OU’s 28 makes from the line was a season-high in made free throws.
Soares and Moore were essential as sophomore guard Milos Uzan endured a tough outing.
Taking a majority of the playmaking load on his shoulders without McCollum, he battled foul trouble all night and shot a dismal 1-of-10 from the floor. Uzan also turned the ball over four times, though he did dish out three assists and chip in a pair of rebounds.
Darthard, who celebrated Senior Night with his pair of clutch moments late, finished the contest as OU’s leading scorer, adding 12 of his 18 points from the free throw line, and Soares and Moore both scored 16 in the winning effort.
"It's what scripts are made of," Moser said. "Your seniors playing a huge game with ramifications and making huge plays."
Oklahoma will close the regular season by taking a trip to Austin to square off against Texas before headed to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament.
"We're going to Texas now. These guys are fired up," Moser said. "They were talking about that more than they were talking about the other game. I think they know. They know we're just trying to stack some wins now."
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