No. 17 Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3) lost to Georgia (14-2, 2-1) 72-62 Saturday afternoon in Athens, Ga.
This was the third straight loss for the Sooners after starting the season 13-0. With Saturday’s result, OU is still looking for its first victory in SEC conference play.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ loss:
Sooners offense goes cold late in the second half
With 10:49 to go in the second half, OU held a 50-49 lead over the Bulldogs.
Over the next seven minutes, the Sooners were only able to make three additional field goals and one free throw. After two dunks by senior center Mohamed Wague, OU didn’t score again until senior forward Jalon Moore put in a free throw and a three pointer.
During that span, the Sooners were outscored 14-8 by the Bulldogs, and Georgia was able to take the lead for good.
After shooting 44.1% from the floor in the first half, OU only shot 31% - nine of 29 - from the field in the second half, including three of 14 from three. OU was outscored 39 to 26 in the second half.
Sooners defense gets active early
The OU defense was effective in the first half, as the Sooners forced nine Bulldog turnovers which led to 11 OU points the other way. The defense for the Sooners picked up late in the first half after OU fell in a quick 17-10 hole with 11:46 to play in the first half.
Six of those nine turnovers were steals. Wague led the way with two steals. Moore and fellow senior forward Sam Godwin, as well as senior guards Duke Miles and Glenn Taylor Jr. all had one steal each.
D » C » O‼️@l_northweather x @Dukemiles10 pic.twitter.com/uoeHz4jtRH
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) January 11, 2025
The Sooners also came away with three blocks in the first half. Wague erased two shots, and freshman guard Jeremiah Fears also picked up a block.
Moore and Miles lead the way for OU in the first half
When searching for a win to break a losing streak, Oklahoma looked to its senior leaders to provide a spark and lead the way.
Despite coming up short once again, Duke Miles and Jalon Moore did just that in the first half. The senior guard-forward combo combined for 23 of OU’s 36 first half points, with Miles putting up 12 and Moore scoring 11.
Miles’ 12 points came on four of six shooting from the field, including two of three from deep. Moore went five for eight from the field in the first half and knocked down the only three pointer he took in the frame.
Back-to-back from behind the arch 👌 pic.twitter.com/HBkFUITsn9
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) January 11, 2025
Graduate transfer guard Kobe Elvis was right behind the pair. Elvis contributed nine points in the first half on four of six shooting as well. Elvis also went one for two from behind the three-point line.
The trio finished as the leading scorers for the Sooners. Moore finished with 17 points on five of eight shooting. Miles and Elvis both finished with 14, with each going four of six from the floor.
Next, the Sooners will be back at home when they take on the Texas Longhorns (11-5) in the first SEC basketball edition of the Red River Rivalry at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15 inside the Lloyd Noble Center.
