Oklahoma 78, Utah 73 (OT): Sooners Win Despite Poor Shooting Night

December 12 – Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) – Willie Warren tallied a game-high 27 points to help lead the Oklahoma Sooners to a 78-73 overtime win against the Utah Utes in non-conference action at the Huntsman Center.

Warren, who shot only 7-of-22 from the field, added eight rebounds and four assists before fouling out. Also scoring in double figures for the Sooners (7-3), as they won their fifth in a row, were Tommy Mason-Griffin and Tony Crocker with 18 and 12 points, respectively. Crocker also accounted for a game-high 10 rebounds as well.

The Utes (5-5), who had a two-game win streak snapped, were paced by Carlon Brown with 16 points, eight boards and five assists, while Luka Drca and Jay Watkins each contributed 13 points and combined for 14 rebounds.

The teams saw a sizeable scoring swing in the first half as Oklahoma led by as many as 11 points in the frame and Utah also claimed an 11-point edge late in the period, before the Utes posted a 42-36 lead at the break.

In the second half both squads had trouble shooting the ball from the field, Utah converting a mere 38.5 percent and missing all 10 chances behind the three-point line. However, when the chips were down, Brown came up big as he converted a layup in the final seconds to send the game to overtime knotted at 67-67.

In the extra session Watkins scored the first four points for Utah, but then the Sooners bounced back with 6-of-8 shooting at the free-throw line to grab the five-point win.

In a game that saw seven ties and 11 lead changes, Oklahoma turned the ball over just 10 times and outscored the home team at the free-throw line, 26-14.