Oklahoma outlasts West Virginia for first Big 12 men's basketball home win

NORMAN — OU never trailed West Virginia on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center.

But it sure came close.

The Sooners didn't make a field goal in the last 6 minutes and 14 seconds, which allowed the Mountaineers to make a late comeback attempt.

Down by two points in the closing seconds, West Virginia's Erik Stevenson tried to finally put his team in front by launching a 3-point attempt. It rimmed out, and OU sealed a 77-76 win soon afterward via a series of made free throws.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

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OU contains West Virginia on the glass

Grant Sherfield didn't budge.

OU held a 9-5 lead with 14:35 left in the first half when a layup by Kedrian Johnson rimmed out. Tre Mitchell soared through the air in an effort to get an offensive rebound, but West Virginia's 6-foot-9 forward got boxed out by the 6-2 Sherfield.

Sherfield secured the contested board and dribbled down the court before sinking a 3-pointer on the right wing.

West Virginia entered Saturday with an offensive rebound percentage of 34%, which ranked 40th in the nation. But the Mountaineers struggled to get second-chance opportunities all afternoon.

OU held West Virginia to just four offensive boards, which it converted into four points. This gave the Mountaineers an offensive rebound percentage of 12.1%.

The Sooners converted six offensive rebounds into five points and won the overall battle on the glass, 29-19.

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Tanner Groves stays out of foul trouble, provides spark

Tanner Groves wanted the ball again.

After drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the arc on OU's previous possession, the senior center got to the same spot and called for a pass.

Sherfield obliged, and Groves knocked down his second 3-pointer of the day to extend the Sooners' lead to 47-39 with 14:54 remaining. The big man then pumped up the crowd by waving his right hand in the air as West Virginia called a timeout.

That proved to be the only made buckets Saturday for Groves. Still, he provided a shot of adrenaline for OU in a game where every point counted.

Groves made an impact by staying out of foul trouble. The veteran center recorded at least four fouls in each of the Sooners' first four Big 12 games, but he only committed two fouls Saturday.

Regardless of how many points Groves scores, he's a leader who brings plenty of passion to the Sooners. OU is better when Groves isn't in foul trouble, and that showed Saturday.

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C.J. Noland's bench production is crucial

C.J. Noland looked like he was out of control.

OU held a 55-51 lead with 9:03 left in the game when Groves got a steal and gave it Noland. The sophomore embarked on a one-man fastbreak, although it got off to a rough start.

Noland lost control of the ball, which rolled a few steps in front of him. But he scooped it off the floor as a pack of West Virginia defenders closed in and delivered a pass to the trailing Sherfield, who sank a 3-pointer.

Noland temporarily lost control of his role this season, but he has since found a new one.

After losing his starting spot to Milos Uzan prior to a game against then-No. 9 Arkansas on Dec. 10, the former Big 12 All-Freshman Team honoree has thrived off the bench in conference play.

Noland recorded six points and an assist in 17 minutes. In OU's last four games, he's averaging 5.8 points and 1 assist in 19.8 minutes.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. West Virginia: Sooners hold off Mountaineers for Big 12 win