No. 4 Oklahoma falls to Oklahoma St. in OT
STILLWATER, Okla. — Trae Young had a sinking feeling when his final shot left his hand. The freshman point guard scored 48 points, but he missed a deep 3 at the buzzer in overtime as No. 4 Oklahoma fell to Oklahoma State 83-81 on Saturday.
“I knew it wasn’t going to go in,” he said. “No, I didn’t feel comfortable.”
Young, who leads the nation in scoring, had 34 points after halftime. He matched the fifth-highest scoring effort in Sooners’ history after also missing a 3-point try at the end of regulation.
Young shot 14 for 39, including 8 for 20 on 3-pointers, and made all 12 of his free throws. ESPN Stats & Info said the 39 shots and 20 3-point attempts were both Big 12 records. None of Young’s teammates scored more than eight points.
“We’ve got to work harder on getting more motion away from the ball and get the ball moving a little bit,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “Again, obviously what Trae is doing with the ball is pretty special, but we need to get a little bit of movement, too.”
Jeffrey Carroll had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Kendall Smith added 20 points for Oklahoma State (13-6, 3-4 Big 12). Smith’s 3 with 8 seconds left in regulation tied it at 73.
“It’s a game of runs,” Smith said. “They were playing well, but we fought and did what we were capable of. We’re fighters, and that’s what it came down to.”
The Cowboys went on to post their first win over a Top 10 team for first-year coach Mike Boynton.
“Really happy for my kids as they continue to show what they’re about and who they are as people,” Boynton said. “Guys that keep fighting for each other, keep fighting for the culture that we’re trying to build, keep fighting to try to help people under- stand that we’ve got a pretty good basketball team. We can compete with anybody in the country.”
Oklahoma State led by two points late in overtime when Carroll missed a free throw that gave the Sooners a chance with 7.4 seconds remaining.
Young struggled to get the ball up the court and was forced into a poor shot.
Oklahoma (14-4, 4-3) was coming off a loss to Kansas State. The Sooners had beaten Oklahoma State 109-89 in Norman on Jan. 3.
The Cowboys played a nearly flawless first 10 minutes and bolted out to a 25-6 lead. The Sooners slowed the surge with an 8-0 run, but Oklahoma State held strong.
Smith’s 3-pointer as time expired in the first half gave the Cowboys a 42-30 lead. The Cowboys held Oklahoma to 30 percent shooting before the break. Young scored 14 points in the first half, but he made just 4 of 15 shots.
“Got to start out the game better,” Young said. “That’s the one thing. I’m going to get back and watch film. Just being ready to go from the beginning. That starts with me. I didn’t bring the energy from the beginning. So just do that and we will get better.”
Oklahoma scored the first seven points of the second half to force an Oklahoma State timeout. A dunk by Brady Manek on an assist from Young cut Oklahoma State’s lead to 44-41. The Sooners tied the game at 53 on a long pass from Young that led to a layup by Kameron McGusty, and a 3-pointer by Young gave the Sooners the lead for the first time.
Smith’s 3-pointer at the end of regulation gave the Cowboys a chance to regroup.
“He is, in a lot of ways, the epitome of what our team is,” Boynton said. “We’ve had a lot of tough moments, for whatever reason at different times, and those kids don’t quit. They don’t give up, they don’t feel sorry for themselves.”