Oklahoma’s top two scorers struggled to get going on Wednesday night so Porter Moser had to find another scorer. That guy was Elijah Harkless who scored a game-high 13 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double as the Sooners dusted off the disappointment of Sunday’s loss to Utah State and got back in the win column. The 57-40 win over Houston Baptist sent OU into Thanksgiving on a high note and improved the season record to 5-1.
Game Defining Moment
Tanner Graves didn’t score his first basket of the night until the 17:50 mark of the first half but it was a big moment for a big basket from Oklahoma’s big man. Graves 3-point connection put the Sooners back in front 28-27 and they wouldn’t look back from there. After tailing 27-22 at the break, Oklahoma opened the second half on a 18-0 run and didn’t allow the Huskies to score until the 12:32 mark, nearly seven and a half minutes into the half. OU ended up outscoring HBU 35-13 over the final twenty minutes of the game to cruise to an easy win after a struggle of a first half.
Wait…What?
How bad were things for Oklahoma in the first half? Here’s one stat that explains it all. Houston Baptist turned the ball over twelve times in the first half and yet the Sooners still trailed the Huskies by five points at the break.
Put Him On Skates
Basketball players live for that moment when they get a defender off balance and then put them on the floor. Elijah Harkless was able to enjoy such a moment on Wednesday evening.
Applying Pressure
The Sooners forced HBU into 21 total turnovers and ripped away an additional eight steals while holding the Huskies to 20% shooting from three-point range and 37.5% altogether from the floor.
The Problem Child
HBU’s Zion Tordoff shot 5-of-7 from the floor and paced the Huskies with 11 points. He also pulled down five rebounds and came up with two steals. He was the only Houston Baptist player to score in double figures.
The Hero
Mo Gibson and Tanner Groves combined for just eight total points on a 3-of-14 shooting performance. While they were riding the struggle bus, Elijah Harkless went to work. The senior guard scored 13 points, on 4-of-8 shooting, pulled down nine boards and recorded two steals to lead the Sooners to victory.
Up Next
The Sooners are off to Orlando, Florida next to take on a Central Florida team that’s undefeated on the season, including 2-0 at home.
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