Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. -- We’ve seen this before.

Oklahoma stumbled out of the locker room, having left its first-half intensity in the bowels of the Lloyd Noble Center as Oklahoma State charged back from a large halftime deficit.

Except this time the Sooners responded.

OU rebuffed an early second half run by OSU to secure a 77-64 win over the Cowboys on Wednesday night. The Sooners snapped their six-game losing streak with the win, their first since Jan. 28.

“It feels good to finally get a win,” forward Romero Osby said. “I don’t really sleep well after losses. It felt good to get a win, we really needed one.”

OSU went on a 24-11 run to start the second half after OU took a 30-12 advantage into the locker room, mirroring the second half struggles that have doomed the Sooners to several losses including recent defeats to Texas, Iowa State and Texas Tech.

“I am really proud of our guys (for) responding the way they did to the Cowboys’ run,” said OU head coach Lon Kruger.

After the Cowboys cut OU’s lead to 42-39 with 13:05 left in the game, Osby turned up his intensity. The junior scored two baskets and grabbed two rebounds in a four-minute stretch which saw the Sooners go on a 9-0 run to take a 51-39 lead.

OSU never came within nine points for the remainder of the contest.

“We did a good job of getting right back in the ball game,” Kruger said. “With our run it popped (the lead) back out to nine or 12 there and we played to that margin the rest of the way.”

The Sooners smothering defense was the story of the first half.

(Read full post)

Oklahoma snapped its six-game losing streak with a 77-64 win over Oklahoma State at Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday night.

The Sooners’ second half struggles continued against the Cowboys as OSU started the second half by going on a 24-11 run to eventually cut OU’s lead to 42-39. But the Sooners responded with an 8-0 run of their own and pulled away in the final ten minutes to cruise to the win.

Player of the Game: Romero Osby. When OSU made its run early in the second half, it was Osby who became more aggressive and scored two layups to spark the 8-0 run. Osby finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Unsung Hero: Tyler Neal. The sophomore provided a great spark off the bench for the Sooners finishing with 9 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes.

Key Stat: 7. The Sooners finished the game with seven blocks which helped limit the Cowboys to eight points in the paint.

Key Stat II: 15. The Sooners outrebounded Oklahoma State 46 to 31 -- a difference of 15 -- in the game as OU dominated inside throughout the night.

Up Next For Oklahoma: at Baylor at 12:30 p.m. CT on Saturday.

Point guard Stevie Clark (Oklahoma City/Douglass) knows this Oklahoma season can't be judged on wins and losses. With first-year coach Lon Kruger trying to resurrect the program and instill a sense of pride, Clark knows it won’t happen overnight.

But for one night, a winning result would go a long way for the Sooners going into the future. OU, on a six-game losing streak and losers of eight of its last nine, has a chance to momentarily end its woes with a win against Bedlam rival Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday at the Lloyd Noble Center.

“I’m more looking at the style of play and how I might fit in than anything else at this point,” said Clark, who has more than 15 offers.

Clark, a four-star prospect ranked No. 1 in Oklahoma for 2013 and No. 58 in the ESPNU Super 60, won’t be the only top in-state prospect at OU. With Kruger focusing his efforts on keeping the top talent home, Wednesday could be a showcase night for the Sooners.

The Oklahoma high school basketball playoffs start Friday, giving a lot of the state’s elite prospects the opportunity to take in Bedlam.

“I’m definitely going,” said 2013 power forward Shaquille Morris (Edmond, Okla./Santa Fe). “I like what Coach Kruger is doing, and OU is showing a lot of interest.”

Three-star shooting guard Juwan Parker (Tulsa, Okla./Washington) said he plans on attending. He has an OU offer and has made several unofficial visits to OU the last couple of years.

Getting the visits is nice, but the atmosphere Wednesday will be something to watch. Clark was impressed by the atmosphere at Missouri two weeks ago and said it was one of the best experiences he has had.

2013 four-star point guard Jordan Woodard (Edmond, Okla./Memorial) could also attend Wednesday. Woodard made an unofficial visit to Memphis earlier this month and an unofficial visit to Kansas last weekend. OU was one of his first offers.

The future recruits could get a little sell job from forward C.J. Cole (Sperry, Okla./Sperry). Cole, a 2012 prospect who is going to be a preferred walk-on at OU, said he is very excited about getting to see the game.

The Sooners have also made a good impression on 2014 guard Omega Harris (Oklahoma City/Putnam City West). When asked Monday if he was going to Bedlam, Harris said, “just tell me the time, and I’m there.”

Oklahoma State defeated OU 72-65 on Jan. 9 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.