Kristian Doolittle helped Oklahoma overcome a poor first half by rallying the Sooners to a 76-74 win over #25 TCU on Saturday. The junior forward from Edmond, OK shot 9-of-12 from the floor to score 24 points and also worked the glass for 10 rebounds (9 of them defensive) to lead OU to a second half comeback.
Trailing 43-37 at the break, TCU had out rebounded Oklahoma by a margin of 30-14. Doolittle and company wouldn’t be denied in the second half though.
In a game that was absolutely crucial for Oklahoma’s Big 12 title hopes, the Sooners started the final 20 minutes of the game on a 9-2 run, ultimately taking their first lead of the second half (46-45) on a Jamuni McNeace jumper at the 15:30 mark.
It was a back and forth game from there that would ultimately go down to the wire with Doolittle hitting a clutch jumper at the three second mark to lock the final score of 76-74. Going for the win, TCU’s Kendric Davis missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
Four of Oklahoma’s five starters scored in double figures, with Christian James (15), Aaron Calixte (12) and Brady Manek (12) supporting Doolittle’s 24-point performance.
The win was Oklahoma first against a ranked opponent this season in four tries.
There is some potential cause for concern with the win though. Lon Kruger went four deep on his bench but they only produced a combined seven points. That’s not a stat line that’s going to come out victorious very often in the Big 12.
The 23rd ranked Sooners are now 13-3 on the season and 2-2 in Big 12 play. They’ll host Kansas State on Wednesday night.