Oklahoma men's basketball suffers stunning loss to Sam Houston in season opener
NORMAN — All the shell-shocked Sooners could do was walk off the basketball court with their hands on their hips.
OU led Sam Houston by as much as 14 points in the second half of its season opener on Monday, but its comfortable lead quickly evaporated when the Bearkats made a late comeback.
Now down by just two points with three seconds remaining, Sam Houston's Qua Grant pushed the ball down the court and found Lamar Wilkerson in the corner.
He heaved a 3-pointer over the outstretched hands of a defender and watched as it found the bottom of the net, sealing Sam Houston's unlikely 52-51 win over OU. The Bearkats' bench then spilled onto the court and celebrated while a silent crowd at Lloyd Noble Center headed for the exits.
"We gave them hope," OU head coach Porter Moser said of Sam Houston. "We have to get better. My job is to get us better and to lead us through this. It’s a long basketball season. This is not going to define us. How we react to this is going to define us."
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
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OU’s high turnover count leads to low-scoring first half
Tristan Ikpe braced for impact.
OU led 13-10 with 9:25 left in the first half when the Sam Houston forward saw C.J. Noland barreling down the lane. Ikpe set himself up to take a charge and earned the call as Noland ran him over while whistles sounded.
The offensive foul marked one of 13 turnovers committed by the Sooners in the first half alone. That total included four offensive charges, two shot clock violations and one travel.
OU’s turnover struggles prevented the team from sustaining momentum on offense.
The Sooners shot 8-for-22 from the floor (26%) in the first half, 10 fewer shot attempts than the Bearkats, and entered the midway point with a slim 26-19 lead.
"We had a handful of turnovers by guys trying to make really home run plays," Moser said. "We've been fairly efficient in practice moving the ball, sharing the ball, high assist lower turnovers. We've got to be way more solid. Way more solid."
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Tanner Groves anchors OU defense with improved shot blocking
Tanner Groves didn’t shy away from the challenge.
OU held a 13-10 lead with 9:10 left in the first half when Grant got past Bijan Cortes on the perimeter and attacked the rim. All that now stood between Grant and an easy layup was Groves, who left his assignment to provide some help on defense.
It’s a good thing he did. Groves met Grant at the rim and swatted the layup attempt away for an emphatic block that electrified the crowd.
Groves protected the rim all evening for OU. The senior center finished with three blocks, which fell one block shy of tying a career-high.
Groves only tallied 14 blocks last season, but he gained 14 pounds in the offseason with hopes of having a bigger interior presence. That added weight is already paying off for the Eastern Washington transfer, who served as OU’s defensive anchor on Monday.
"I felt great out there," Groves said. "I feel more athletic out there. In terms of the blocks, that's just something to grow on and just keep working at. I'm trying to be a great defender and help the team out."
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Shooting struggles sink the Sooners
OU never managed to fully run away with Monday's game due to its shooting struggles.
The Sooners only shot 16-for-43 from the floor (37.2%) and 5-for-19 from 3-point range (26.3%).
Grant Sherfield and Groves were the two exceptions to the Sooners’ offensive woes. Sherfield recorded a team-high 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor (2-for-3 from deep), while Groves tallied 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor (1-for-3 from deep).
The rest of OU’s offense only went 7-for-28 from the floor (25%) and 2-for-13 from deep (15.4%).
"Their pressure was definitely bothering us all night," Groves said. "We're going to look back at the end of the year and we're going to look at this loss as just a major learning lesson along the way. I think it's going to help us."
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. Sam Houston men's basketball: Sooners get upset in season opener
