Elijah Harkless caught the ball at the top of the key with five seconds remaining in the shot clock.
The senior guard took three dribbles, gathered near the free-throw line and launched a fadeaway jumper over Central Florida guard Darius Perry to give Oklahoma a three-point lead with 19 seconds remaining. Before Harkless’ shot, OU hadn’t made a field goal in five minutes and 59 seconds.
On the ensuing possession, Knights guard Tony Johnson Jr. missed a last-chance layup attempt, which was rebounded by Harkless. The board sealed Oklahoma’s (6-1) 65-62 win over UCF (4-1) in its first true road game of the season in Orlando on Saturday. The tough road win was a good start to a grueling upcoming stretch in which the Sooners take on No. 23 Florida, Butler in a Big East-Big 12 Battle and No. 13 Arkansas.
OU coach Porter Moser pulled Harkless aside a few possessions before the game-clinching shot, after his veteran guard had committed a turnover and missed a 3-pointer. He wanted Harkless to dribble downhill and create some movement.
“He really went downhill and he had (Perry) leaning and he stopped,” Moser said. “He really made a heck of a play. That’s the one thing you love about (Harkless), even though he had three tough possessions, he’s not afraid of that moment to take that shot and it was a big shot.”
Harkless isn’t a stranger to big buckets in big moments. He hit a similar shot to defeat then-No. 9 Alabama 66-61 last season. Harkless finished Saturday’s game with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in the win.
“EJ’s shot was amazing,” junior guard Jalen Hill said after the game. "The moment it went up I knew it was going in. Just for him to take that shot, it shows the confidence he has in himself and the confidence we have in him to take it.”
Ice in his veins 🥶📺 ESPN+ | https://t.co/9MtLE711fd pic.twitter.com/Zb1qjcFw7G
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) November 27, 2021
Senior guard Umoja Gibson finished the game with a team-high 13 points and three 3-pointers. Redshirt senior forward Ethan Chargois added a season-high 12 points in only 15 minutes off the bench. Meanwhile, redshirt senior guard Jordan Goldwire added 11 points and seven assists.
Chargois, a Tulsa native, found his groove for the Sooners as a role player, nailing 4-of-5 shots from the field.
“He provided a big spark for us,” Hill said. “Came off the bench, had a quick nine points at half. Defensively, he had a block that led to us getting a basket. If he can provide this day in and day out, he can be a real problem.”
Despite leaving Orlando with a win, the Sooners struggled with turnovers, surrendering 19 on the afternoon. OU also had several dry spells on offense, including a 9-0 run by UCF in the first half.
Slow starts and strong finishes on offense have become a theme early in the season for Moser’s group, which is still trying to find chemistry. That doesn’t worry him as long as his team continues to play good defense throughout and finish games.
“A slow start was not the indicator for our defense,” Moser said. “They had like five points in the first 10 minutes and they’re a very explosive offensive team.”
Oklahoma will look to stretch its winning streak to three when it takes on No. 23 Florida at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1, in Norman.
“We’re coming together really well,” Chargois said. “We’re bonding, we’re still learning about each other, getting better. Coming off of Myrtle Beach, I feel like this is big for us because we found ourselves in a similar situation and we liked what we did this time.”
