Sooners' second-half surge falls short against Baylor Bears

The OU men's basketball team fought back late, but experience and height prove to be the Achilles' heel as the Sooners fell to Baylor 74-61. The loss evens Oklahoma's record at 8-8 and 0-2 in conference play.

The final score was a little deceiving for Oklahoma. The Sooners were never in control, but were able to cut the Bears' lead to two points with the aid of their 3-point shooting, specifically from sophomore guard Steven Pledger, who lead the team in scoring with 17 points. Pledger was 5-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arch.

OU also received some key help from freshman guard Cameron Clark, who scored 16, and sophomore guard Carl Blair, who scored 10. However, Oklahoma had no answer for Baylor freshman forward Perry Jones, who led all scorers with 25 points.

Baylor did not pull away to its largest lead of 15 until the final seconds of the game after the Bears continuously pounded the paint.

OU’s lack of height and size could prove costly during conference play.

Though the Sooners fell short, they showed signs of life at the end of the first half, knocking down three straight 3-pointers to cut the lead to four and again in the beginning of the second half when Pledger scored nine of the Sooners first 12 to get as close as two points.

In order to compete, Oklahoma must knock down shots, which it struggled with most of the game.

The Sooners were short handed as senior guard Cade Davis sat out of the game due to the death of his grandmother earlier in the day. Freshman forward Tyler Neal started in Davis' absence.

Oklahoma will look to get its first Big 12 win when the team tips off against the Texas Longhorns at 3 p.m. Saturday in Austin, Texas.

Jordan Marks

Jordan is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Rowing Beat Reporter.