Second-Half Run Carries Oklahoma Past 12/14 K-State, 79-65

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma linked on an opponent season-tying 11 3-pointers, together with three throughout a key 12-0 run early within the second half, because the Sooners earned a 79-65 win over No. 12/14 Kansas State on Tuesday evening earlier than a crowd 5,167 on the Lloyd Noble Center.
 
Oklahoma noticed 5 completely different gamers hit on at the very least one 3-pointer, together with 3 every by senior Grant Sherfield and freshman Milos Uzan, because the Sooners tied an opponent season-high with 11 made 3-point discipline targets whereas making 47.8 % of their photographs from past the arc. The Wildcats entered the sport with the Big 12’s greatest and nation’s 12^th-best 3-point discipline objective share protection at 28.6 %.
 
Sherfield led all scorers with 22 factors to go along with a game-tying 6 assists and eight rebounds to assist the Sooners (13-13, 3-10 Big 12) snap a 4-game dropping streak.
 
Oklahoma carried the momentum of a 3-pointer by Sherfield that knotted the rating at 36-all proper earlier than halftime into the second half, utilizing the 12-0 run to construct a double-digit lead with simply over 16 minutes to play. Sherfield, senior Tanner Groves and Uzan all hit triples throughout the run.
 
Down 15 factors halfway via the second half, the Wildcats acquired some constructive momentum with an 8-1 run that minimize the deficit to 61-53 with simply over 7 minutes to play. However, the Sooners ended any hopes of an extra comeback with a 9-1 run, which was capped by a 3-pointer from sophomore Bijan Cortes – the crew’s eleventh trey of the evening – that prolonged the result in 70-54 with lower than 5 minutes to play.
 
Overall, the Sooners scored their 79 factors on 51 % (25-of-49) capturing, together with 43 factors after halftime on 61.1 % (11-of-18) capturing.
 
Ok-State (19-7, 7-6 Big 12) noticed 4 gamers rating in double figures led by junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who collected his second double-double of the season with 17 factors and a game-high 10 rebounds. Seniors Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson every scored 14 factors, whereas fellow senior Abayomi Iyiola added 11 factors.
 
Sherfield was considered one of 4 Sooners who scored in double figures, as he led all scorers with 22 factors on 7-of-15 discipline targets to go along with a game-tying 6 assists and eight rebounds in practically 38 minutes of motion. He was joined in double figures by fellow senior Tanner Groves, who had 16 factors on 5-of-7 discipline targets, together with 2-of-3 from 3-point vary, in addition to freshman Milos Uzah and senior Jalen Hill, who scored 13 and 12 factors, respectively.
 
Oklahoma has now gained 3 straight within the sequence with Ok-State, together with the final 3 on the Lloyd Noble Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Oklahoma began the sport on hearth, working out to a 9-2 lead prompting head coach Jerome Tang to name his first timeout lower than 3 minutes into the sport. However, the timeout appeared to ignite Ok-State, because the Wildcats rattled off 11 straight to take a 13-9 lead into the primary media timeout on the 15:34 mark.
 
The Sooners regained the lead at 15-14 with consecutive baskets, together with a 3-pointer by freshman Milos Uzan and a dunk by senior Jalen Hill. Although the Wildcats responded with their very own 4-0 spurt, the house crew once more grabbed the momentum with 7 straight factors to take a 21-17 benefit with 9:22 earlier than halftime.
 
Ok-State chipped away on the deficit, scoring 6 of the subsequent 7 factors, together with consecutive baskets by junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin to take a 23-22 edge. The groups traded the lead over the subsequent couple of minutes earlier than the Wildcats twice took 4-point leads on 3-point performs by Tomlin and senior Markquis Nowell. However, the Sooners had been capable of snag the momentum on the half with a 3-pointer from senior Grant Sherfield to tie the sport at 36-all.
 
Much like the primary half, Oklahoma got here out scorching from halftime, utilizing a 12-0 run to take a 48-38 lead and power Tang to take a timeout with 16:23 remaining. The Sooners acquired three 3-pointers from Sherfield, senior Tanner Groves and Uzan throughout the important thing stretch.
 
Ok-State was capable of reply with consecutive baskets from juniors Ismael Massoud and Desi Sills to chop into the deficit, however Oklahoma scored 12 of the subsequent 15 factors to take a 60-45 benefit with 10:38 to play.
 
The Wildcats was capable of minimize the deficit to 61-53 with 7:07 to play after an 8-1 spurt that included 4 factors from Nowell and a pair of every from senior Keyontae Johnson and Sills. However, as soon as once more, the Sooners ran off 9 of the subsequent 10 factors to finish any such hope of a rally to guide 70-54 with 4:50 remaining.
 
IN THEIR WORDS
Head Coach Jerome Tang
On the sport…
“I am thankful we had a really good crowd out there of K-State followers who traveled and that was pretty cool. Most importantly, I thought, Coach (Porter) Moser and his staff did a much better job than we did of having his team prepared. And his guys did a great job of executing what they wanted to do. And they kicked our butts, and they deserve all the credit in the world for that. And we did not play hard enough to deserve to win tonight.”
 
On what he advised the crew within the locker room…
“I told them that I might have overreacted after the last game (the loss of Texas Tech). I feel like we were satisfied. I wanted them to feel this loss. The great thing about this wonderful game we play is that it’s not football, we don’t have to wait seven days to play again, we get to play a next game here pretty quick. And you can get rid of the bad feeling. But you’ve gotta let this thing sit a little bit. So, I actually just want them to sit in the locker room, because normally I want to get out quick. But I actually just wanted them to sit in it for a little while and kind of feel what it’s like. There’s guys who draft boards, right? And they put a kid’s name on a draft board. And the kid reads that and they think they’re gonna get drafted. Right? What they don’t understand is that none of the guys who do draft boards do drafting, right? And is, and so it’s the same thing with like, bracketology. There are these guys out there that say certain teams are in the NCAA Tournament. But none of those guys pick the teams for the NCAA Tournament. We have to win at least two more games to get to the NCAA Tournament. And that was my message to them that we got to figure this thing out, because we got to win two more games. They have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. And that was one of our goals.”
 
On asking the crew concerning the defensive lapses…
“No, I didn’t ask for an explanation. That’s pretty easy to figure out. We didn’t play hard enough.”
 
On what groups are attempting to do defensively with Markquis Nowell…
“Well, they are doing different things with him because they can’t guard him one-on-one. But in the first half, they put too on the ball, and he made the next pass, and the guy who had the ball, the next pass made the pass that led to the assists. And I mean, we were able to score effectively in the first half and scored 36 points. But that wasn’t the issue. We just didn’t play hard enough on the defensive end, to deserve to win tonight.”
 
On if this was the worst defensive efficiency of the season…
“At TCU was not great (defensively) So far, effort hadn’t been an issue with our guys. Execution maybe at times. But effort hadn’t been an issue and tonight effort was an issue.”
 
On David N’Guessan…
 “He was sick. We weren’t sure if he was going to start. He said he would try, but as you guys saw he couldn’t catch the first pass and he couldn’t sprint back on defense, so we couldn’t play him.”
 
On the turnovers not being an issue tonight…
“Our guys understand that we have to do a better job of that. And they tried with that tonight. Fourteen turnovers are still too many, but that wasn’t the most glaring thing that stood out to me tonight.”
 
On crew scouting Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson…
“Everybody getting scouted right now. And teams are doing a really good job of keeping up on our two best players. And we have to do a better job of manipulating the defense to help them be a little bit more effective. But anytime you’re going against so many really good coaches, and if you don’t play hard enough, you aren’t going to win. You can do a lot of good things and still lose. But if you don’t play hard, you never have a chance to win. And we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win today.”
 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Team Notes

• Ok-State dropped its second straight recreation to fall to 19-7 total, together with 7-6 in Big 12 play.
• The Wildcats have now misplaced 4 of their final 5 video games, whereas they misplaced their fifth straight Big 12 street recreation.
• Oklahoma now leads the all-time sequence, 112-103, together with 67-28 in video games performed at residence… The Sooners have now gained 3 straight within the sequence and three in a row at residence.
• Ok-State scored its 65 factors on 43.1 % capturing (25-of-58), together with 20 % (4-of-20) from 3-point vary, and linked on 73.3 % (11-of-15) from the free throw line.
• The 11 made 3-pointers by Oklahoma tied the opponent, as Texas and Kansas additionally hit on 11 treys.
• Oklahoma held a 32-31 benefit on the glass, whereas Ok-State grabbed 11 offensive rebounds… The Wildcats at the moment are 2-4 when dropping the rebounding battle.
• Ok-State acquired 20 factors from its bench, which was the fourth recreation in a row with 20 or extra bench factors.
• The groups had been tied at 36-all on the break, as senior Grant Sherfield linked on his second 3-pointer of the half with 10 seconds… The Wildcats linked on 48.5 % (16-of-33) from the sector within the first half, whereas the Sooners hit on 45.2 % (14-of-31)…. Junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin led with 13 factors.
• Ok-State is now 1-1 on the season when tied on the half.

 
Player Notes

• Junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin collected his second double-double with 17 factors 8-of-15 discipline targets to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds in 32 minutes… Both double doubles have are available Big 12 play… The 10 rebounds tied a season-high… He has now scored in double figures in 15 video games, together with 6 in Big 12 play.
• Senior Markquis Nowell scored 14 factors on 4-of-13 discipline targets, together with 2-of-9 from 3-point vary, and 4-of-4 free throws to go along with a game-tying 6 assists, 5 rebounds and three steals in 37 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 89 profession video games, together with 42 at Ok-State and 23 this season… He has at the very least 2 steals in 20 of 26 video games this season.
• Senior Keyontae Johnson scored 14 factors on 6-of-11 discipline targets, together with 1-of-3 from 3-point vary, and 1-of-3 free throws to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and three steals in 39 minutes… He has 63 profession double-digit scoring video games, together with 25 of 26 video games in 2022-23.
• Senior Abayomi Iyiola scored 11 factors on 4-of-5 discipline targets and 3-of-4 free throws with 2 assists, 1 rebound and a block in 18 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 43 video games, together with 4 occasions as a Wildcat.

 
WHAT’S NEXT
Ok-State returns residence to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday, because the Wildcats play host to No. 18/19 Iowa State (16-8, 7-5 Big 12) at 1 p.m., CT on ESPN. The Cyclones gained the primary assembly, 80-76, at residence on Jan. 24.
 
 
How to observe the ‘Cats: For full information on Ok-State males’s basketball, go to www.kstatesports.com and observe the crew’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.