Reaves lifts No. 12 Oklahoma over No. 14 WVU in 2OT
(12) Oklahoma 91
(12) West Virginia 90 (2OT) OKLA: 13-5, 8-4
WVU: 14-6, 7-4
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Austin Reaves helped No. 12 Oklahoma pull off an impressive win on the road.
Reaves scored four of his 28 points in the final minute of the second overtime and the Sooners held off No. 14 West Virginia 91-90 on Saturday.
Oklahoma (13-5, 8-4 Big 12) squeaked out a win 1,000 miles from home after losing three of its last four games on the road.
“Just a heck of a ballgame,” coach Lon Kruger said. “There wasn’t much margin either way throughout. Guys on both teams were fighting like crazy, making big-time plays, big-time stops.”
The Sooners couldn’t hold on to a 66-57 lead with six minutes left in regulation and had to depend on Reaves to pull this one out.
Reaves went 10 of 20 from the floor in his second game back since missing two games while in COVID-19 protocols. He also had nine rebounds and seven assists.
“Austin’s a big-time competitor,” Kruger said. “He
wants the ball in late-game situations. He doesn’t shy away from anything.”
Derek Culver had his 10th double-double of the season with a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Mountaineers (146, 7-4). He had averaged 6.5 points in six previous games against the Sooners.
“Culver’s a tough matchup,” Kruger said. “He’s so physical.”
Culver scored seven
points in the second overtime to put West Virginia ahead 88-85 with 2:12 left. De’Vion Harmon’s layup and two free throws by Reaves gave the Sooners the lead before Miles McBride’s layup with 41 seconds left put the Mountaineers up 90-89.
Reaves capped the scoring with a floater in the lane over McBride with 27 seconds left. The shot “felt good, but there was still
time on the clock and we had to get a stop and a rebound,” he said.
There certainly plenty of drama left.
Culver’s layup attempt with 7 seconds left was blocked by Oklahoma’s Kur Kuath and the ball went out of bounds back to the Sooners. West Virginia got it right back on a tieup during the ensuing inbounds pass.
After the ball went out of was
bounds again and West Virginia kept possession, McBride lofted a pass underneath the basket to Culver. But Culver missed a pair of rushed shots in a crowd as time ran out.
West Virginia’s threegame winning streak came to an end. The Mountaineers made just 7 of 24 3-pointers (29%) and 11 of 21 free throws (52%).
West Virginia coach Bob
Huggins said his players were tired after returning late from a win at No. 7 Texas Tech on Tuesday and never fully regained their focus and concentration.
“We have to play with an edge, and we didn’t,” Huggins said.
West Virginia’s Sean McNeil added 21 points, all after halftime, and McBride scored 19.
Umoja Gibson added 21 points for the Sooners. Harmon scored 13, Elijah Harkless had 12 and Brady Manek 11.
BIG PICTURE
Oklahoma: The Sooners have won seven of their last eight games, including five against ranked opponents.
West Virginia: Since big man Oscar Tshiebwe left the team on Jan. 1, West Virginia has gone 6-4 but still holds hopes of maintaining a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Oklahoma could climb back into the top 10 of the AP Top 25. West Virginia shouldn’t see much of a drop.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma hosts No. 13 Texas on Tuesday.
West Virginia plays at Texas on Feb. 20. The Mountaineers have won four consecutive conference road games. Games next Monday and Thursday against No. 2 Baylor were postponed because of COVID-19 issues with the Bears.
BARCELONA, Spain – Twice a pack of Alavés defenders thought they had Lionel Messi under control. Twice Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer proved them wrong.
Messi scored two screamers in his record-equaling 505th Spanish league appearance for Barcelona to help them stay in touch with leader Atlético Madrid on Saturday.
Messi struck twice from well outside the area as Alavés was beaten 5-1. Messi matched former teammate Xavi Hernández’s club record for the most league appearances by starting the match at Camp Nou.
Forward Francisco Trincão also scored twice in Barcelona’s win before it hosts Paris Saint-Germain in their highly anticipated Champions League clash on Tuesday.
“The game comes at a good time,” coach Ronald Koeman said. “We are on a good run and creating lots of scoring chances. They are a strong team, but so are we.”
Atlético got goals from Marcos Llorente and Ángel Correa to win at Granada 2-1 and bounce back from a draw against Celta Vigo in the last round, which ended a winning run of eight consecutive rounds.
Diego Simeone’s side, which has lost only once in 21 rounds, is eight points clear of Barcelona and titleholder Real Madrid.
PREPARING FOR PSG
Koeman said his team is ready for PSG, especially with Messi playing like he is.
“Leo is decisive,” Koeman said. “When we find him with our interior passing lanes, and have players on the flanks giving him options, we make it easier for him because his vision is extraordinary. But to win this tie, we need Leo and all our players playing at their best.”
In preparation, Koeman rested some firstchoice players and debuted midfielder Ilaix Moriba, aged 18, and started Trincão, Riqui Puig and Junior Firpo.
Moriba made an immediate impact when he provided an assist for Trincão to score in back-to-back league matches. Right back Óscar Minguez found a hole in Alavés’ disciplined defense when he reached the end-line and crossed to Moriba at the far post. Instead of shooting, Moriba laid off for Trincão to rifle home the 29th-minute opener.
Messi took his first goal just before halftime when he cut back from the right flank and unleashed a powerful shot between two defenders that ricocheted in off the bottom of the upright.
Moriba’s inexperience showed in the 57th when a poor pass was intercepted by Alavés’ Luis Rioja in Barcelona’s half, and he charged forward for 2-1.
Trincão got his second goal in the 74th by picking off a rebound of goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco’s save of Messi on the break.
Messi was not to be denied a minute later with another rocket from outside the box. He looked well tracked by five Alavés players as he approached the area, but a quick change of pace and a move to put the ball on his favored left foot was all he needed to drive an unstoppable shot into the corner.
Messi has eight goals in Barcelona’s seven-game winning run in the league.
Firpo rounded off the rout in the 80th.
MARCHING ON
Alético was stymied by Granada’s defense until Llorente struck in the 63rd from the edge of the area.
Yangel Herrera equalized three minutes later after Atlético’s only defensive letdown when it failed to clear a corner kick.
Correa put the
front-runners back on top for good in the 75th with a shot that deflected off defender Jesús Vallejo and looped in over goalkeeper Rui Silva.
Coach Diego Simeone praised Yannick Carrasco and Mario Hermoso after recovering from the coronavirus.
“Carrasco and Hermoso spent 14 days at home without playing. Do you know how difficult that is?” Simeone asked. “I had the coronavirus and I know all the work they had to do.”
Atlético was still without infected forwards João Félix, Thomas Lemar, Moussa Dembélé, and midfielder Héctor Herrera.
STRONG SEVILLA
Sevilla earned a ninth consecutive win across all competitions and strengthened its hold on fourth place after Munir El Haddadi’s second-half header downed Huesca 1-0.
Borussia Dortmund comes to Sevilla in the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday.
Also, Eibar was held by Valladolid to 1-1.