As Jacob Groves soared through the air and blocked South Alabama guard Owen White’s layup, the Lloyd Noble Center crowd roared to life.
Jacob’s chase-down rejection proved the difference in Oklahoma’s (3-1) 64-60 win over South Alabama (1-3) on Friday in Norman. Fans stood up and clapped as Jacob was embraced by his brother, Tanner Groves, and Jalen Hill at centercourt.
THE block 💥 pic.twitter.com/327pLQo54z
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) November 19, 2022
Afterward, Jacob joked with his teammates it was “the most athletic play they’ve ever seen him make” in his OU tenure. The Sooners desperately needed a clutch play in the final seconds and Jacob responded after Hill was trapped, stripped and the Jaguars pushed for a game-tying basket.
Jacob finished the game with nine points, two rebounds, one assist and one block, while shooting 4-for-7 from the field and 1-for-3 from 3-point range. His game-saving moment was an example of his team’s perseverance.
“It’s on our culture wall to never quit on a play,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “That was a huge play. They all of a sudden trapped Jalen and we thought that they were going to foul. And obviously they just ripped it, but Jacob came up with the block. That was huge, but that's what you got to do. You have to find some ways to make some winning plays, and that was a winning play.”
Alongside Jacob, Tanner proved pivotal for the Sooners despite struggling from 3-point range. He finished the night with a season-high 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six assists despite lackluster 6-for-18 shooting and an abysmal 0-for-10 mark from beyond the arc.
Tanner felt it was the “best, worst game” he’s ever had. During the contest, Moser and his teammates told him to keep shooting the ball, despite his inefficiencies.
“I put in a lot of work, and I think that's like the worst 3-point shooting game I've ever had in my life,” Tanner said. “On the sidelines they were just telling me to keep shooting the ball, and that eventually one was gonna fall, but obviously it didn't, and that’s alright. Moving forward, I'm just gonna keep shooting that thing. I know that they're eventually going to fall, so I'm not too worried about that.”
Oklahoma was down 12 points with 4:47 remaining in the first half, but clawed back to win. Moser thinks that Tanner and Jacob’s performance — they found ways to impact the game despite numerous negative moments — can provide momentum moving forward.
“I’m seeing joy in the big picture, because we’re finding ways to win even when we didn't do our best or didn’t shoot our best,” Moser said. “So many times kids put all their eggs in a shooting basket, whether they played well or not.
“...We're gonna keep fighting. I think we're a team that's gonna play really hard and tough, and I think this team will get better.”
Here are two additional takeaways from Oklahoma’s win:
Senior forward Jacob Groves and senior forward/center Tanner Groves during the game against South Alabama on Nov. 18
Sooners overcome shooting struggles
The Sooners shot a season-high 26-for-49 and 10-for-23 from 3-point range in their blowout win against North Carolina-Wilmington, but their attempts weren’t falling against South Alabama in the first half.
Oklahoma started the period 1-for-7 from the field, which allowed the Jaguars to take a 11-2 lead with 15:52 remaining. Tanner was at the forefront of the struggles, shooting 0-for-5 during that stretch.
South Alabama capitalized on Oklahoma’s shooting woes, taking a 31-19 lead — its largest of the first half — with 4:47 remaining. The Sooners responded with defense, however, going on an 11-2 run and holding the Jaguars scoreless for the rest of the half.
“We stayed the course with everything and didn’t panic, just trying to chip away at it,” Moser said. “We talked about that, like that last four minutes in the media timeout, getting stops and good possessions. When we were down 12 there was no panic, and we chipped away at it.”
Oklahoma overcame its shooting woes in the second period, shooting 8-for-11 to start the second half and taking a 46-41 lead with 13:55 remaining in the game. OU finished the game 14-for-27 overall.
“We battled back,” Moser said. “We came out the second half and won the first four minutes, so there's some really good things to build on.”
Junior forward Sam Godwin during the game against South Alabama on Nov. 18
Godwin, Bamisile bring bench burst
Junior guard Joe Bamisile and junior forward Sam Godwin provided efficient minutes off the bench for the Sooners.
Godwin finished with nine points and five rebounds while shooting 3-for-4. With 11:21 remaining in the first half, Godwin was OU’s sole offensive force. He had four points and four rebounds during a 6-0 run that brought the Sooners within a 13-10 score.
The Wofford transfer helped Oklahoma extend a 48-44 lead over the Jaguars after a pivotal and-1 layup with 11:59 left in the second half.
“There’s something about lefties,” Moser said of Godwin’s performance. “He's tough. He's got touch around the basket, and he's athletic. He's really bouncy. The last game he went upstairs and got some rebounds. He is just relentless and he pursues the ball.”
Bamisile finished with five points and his five rebounds were most among Oklahoma guards. His and Godwin’s continued contributions will be pivotal to OU’s sustained success.
“I thought we did some good things,” Moser said. “Truly, I mean there's a lot of shots that we missed… But the biggest message coming out of here is finding a way to win, making some winning plays throughout.”
Next, the Sooners will face Nebraska in the ESPN Events Invitational at 4 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 24 in Kissimmee, Florida.
