The Oklahoma Sooners held the lead for all of 41 seconds during the stint of the game against the Texas Longhorns. However, Rashard Odomes changed the story after stealing the ball from Andrew Jones around the perimeter. Turning the steal into a fast break, the youngster rocked the rim unchallenged with under a minute to play. The effort secured a late 80-78 lead for OU in the Red River Rivalry.
Continuously forced to foul in order to keep the game in check, the Longhorns seemed to be heading toward another loss. But, Eric Davis gave the home team a bit of hope by knocking down a three pointer to pull within two points of the opponent 83-81. Electing to foul Oklahoma’s Kameron McGusty, the crowd roared as the sophomore missed both free throw attempts.
Putting the ball in Andrew Jones’ hands, it appeared as though the freshman would attempt to drive the lane while picking up a foul. Instead, Jones stepped back with a defender in his face. Gathering and setting his feet beneath himself, the guard launched a rainbow. With the clock quickly winding down, the shot found the bottom of the net sending the fans into a “beat OU” chant.
With 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation and trailing 84-83, the Sooners failed to pass the ball inbounds cleanly leading to a heave from behind mid-court. Just as the shot fell short, Oklahoma also found themselves on the losing side of the equation.
Only two players made a major impact on the scoreboard Monday night. First up, Kristian Doolittle continues to put together impressive performances against conference opponents. Pouring in a career high 29 points, the freshman secured a second consecutive double-double with 10 rebounds. Joining him, Kameron McGusty added another 21 points during the outing as the two combined for 35 shot attempts.
Continuing to rack up experience, this team could be a force to reckon with in a year or two. Until then, Oklahoma looks to step out of conference play for a meeting with the No. 25 Florida Gators as a part of the Big XII/SEC Challenge.