The Oklahoma Sooners hit the road hoping to extend the current conferences win streak to three. Standing in the way, the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks held the previous two visitors to under 50 points at Allen Fieldhouse. Colliding on the hardwood, only one could reign victorious as KU claimed the 87-70 win.
Trading buckets throughout the first fifteen minutes of play, Lon Kruger watched as the program knocked down shots from various places on the court. Recording an assist on five of the ten made shots over that same period of time, the Sooners held a slim 27-24 lead with 5:07 left in the half. However, the response from the defense moving forward proved to be an immovable object.
The effort produced an insurmountable 27-8 run from the 3:46 mark in the first half to the 14:59 point of the second in favor of the Jayhawks. Proving to be the difference maker, the Sooners never recovered.
Struggling to connect consistently in the second half, Oklahoma finished the contest with a 35.8% conversion rate. Unable to secure a majority of the rebounds, second chance points were hard to come by as Kansas built a lead. Outrebounded 46-35, the stat line continues to be an indicator of victory or defeat for OU.
Leading the way once again, it appears as though Kristian Doolittle has finally found his stride. After a tumultuous start to the season plagued by a couple of suspensions, the forward dropped another 27 points on Saturday. Collecting 12 rebounds, the senior led the team in both statistical categories.
In foul trouble for a solid portion of the contest, Brady Manek may have played well. However, the impact of the junior was not felt as it has been in the past against top competition. That must change as Oklahoma will face the top ranked Baylor Bears next.