OU Basketball: Oklahoma Overcomes Slow Start, Blows Out Green Bay
NORMAN — Oklahoma needed a jumpstart late on Saturday night.
Facing off against Green Bay, the last test before the No. 11-ranked Sooners head to Charlotte to take on North Carolina, Porter Moser’s team took most of the first half to get into gear.
The Sooners were sloppy in possession, allowing the visiting Phoenix to hang around.
Green Bay’s Foster Wonders connected on a triple, cutting OU’s lead to 21-20 with 5:43 left until halftime, forcing Moser to burn a timeout.
Moser made the most of the break, getting after his team and demanding their focus, and Oklahoma responded.
OU forced seven turnovers over the next five minutes, bursting out on a 15-0 run to close the half, taking full control of the game.
From there it was all Oklahoma, as the Sooners powered past Green Bay 81-47 at the Lloyd Noble Center.
While it took time for the offense to really flow, the Oklahoma (10-0) defense confounded Green Bay (5-7, 1-1 Horizon League) all night.
"It was 21-20, I call a timeout," Moser said after the win. "They run a packed defense, so they were just packing in and we weren’t getting driving lanes. We were probably trying to go inside a little bit too much.
"... We just said it’s gotta start with our energy. Let’s get the transition going. We amped up our press a little bit more."
The Sooners forced 20 turnovers, getting out and running to score 27 points off those Phoenix errors.
"That’s what we’ve gotta do," Moser said. "That’s what winning teams do, is whether you’re stagnant or missing good shots or whatever you’re doing offensively, you can’t let it affect you on the defensive end. I thought we were playing hard every possession defensively.”
Jalon Moore used his length to apply pressure in the backcourt, unsettling Green Bay ball handlers for the entire possessions as the visitors struggled to advance the ball up the court.
Oklahoma’s ability to get whatever it wanted in transition nullified OU’s shooting struggles from deep.
Moser’s team combined to connect on just 5-of-17 attempts from behind the arc, but Sam Godwin stayed active to reset play.
The OU center pulled down four offensive rebounds in nine minutes of action, bolstering his strong numbers in the post to start the year.
Once the Sooners got into rhythm, they continued to succeed with a balanced attack.
Three OU players scored double digits, while 11 different guys scored against the Phoenix, repeatedly bringing the Christmas sweater-clad fans at the Lloyd Noble Center to their feet.
Rivaldo Soares led Oklahoma in scoring with 13 points, also adding five rebounds and two assists, but Otega Oweh had the loudest bucket of the night.
In the midst of OU’s run to close the first half, a Soares block pushed Oweh on the break.
Soares fired the ball downcourt to Oweh, who cocked back an emphatic reverse slam to force a Green Bay timeout.
"I saw that no one was kind of following — they were following but not aggressively," Oweh said, "so I was like, ‘alright, might as well try it.’ I do that dunk a lot in practice, and like when I’m just playing around. I do that dunk often, so I’m very comfortable with it.”
Oweh ended the night with 12 points, two rebounds and career-high seven steals.
"I think that might be the most steals since 1995 by a player, unofficially seven steals in a game," Moser said. "That's 28 years, if my math is correct. I thought he was anticipating. He's getting his athleticism into the game. Again, it's a great lesson for us. No matter what's going on on the offensive end, shots falling or not falling, defense has got to be there possession by possession."
John Hugley IV made five trips to the free throw line, adding to his 11-point haul to go with his four rebounds , two assists and a steal.
Defensively, Oklahoma tied its season-high in team steals with 12, matching the output from last week’s victory over Providence.
Now the Sooners will hit the road for their biggest test of the non-conference slate.
Wednesday, OU will meet No. 9 North Carolina in Charlotte, NC, at the Jumpman Invitational. Tip-off between the Sooners and the Tar Heels is slated for 8 p.m., and the bout will be broadcast on ESPN.
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