'We have to keep pushing': OU suffers third straight loss following nailbiter against No. 7 Kansas
NORMAN — Elijah Harkless got a hand up.
It didn't matter.
Oklahoma found itself tied with 11 seconds left in regulation of its game against Kansas on Tuesday when Ochai Agbaji barreled into the lane. The senior guard kicked the ball out to Christian Braun, who had Harkless closing in on him.
Braun caught the pass and immediately let it fly from behind the arc as the crowd at Lloyd Noble Center collectively held its breath. To its dismay, the ball found the bottom of the net.
Braun's late 3-pointer helped No. 7-ranked Kansas escape Norman with a 67-64 win. The Sooners (12-6, 2-4 Big 12) are on a three-game losing streak.
"You have to tip your hat to them for the shots they hit," OU head coach Porter Moser said of the Jayhawks. "I loved our effort. I really did. I loved our belief. The guys never stopped believing they were going to win until the final buzzer.
"That's a great sign of the culture. It's why I love where we are going. We have to keep pushing."
Jordan Goldwire finished with team-highs of 15 points and three steals in the losing effort. Umoja Gibson tallied 11 points and two assists, while Jalen Hill chipped in 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Here are three takeaways from the contest:
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OU fans show up thanks in part to Moser
Moser knows how to deliver.
The first-year OU head coach is off to a strong start in Norman. Moser has led the Sooners to three AP Top 25 wins, but that isn't all he set out to accomplish when he accepted the job last April.
"I'm on a mission to fill this arena every night," Moser said during a press conference on Monday.
The mission is a bold one considering it has taken the likes of Trae Young and Buddy Hield to pack Lloyd Noble Center in years past, but Moser did his part.
Before OU's home game against Kansas on Tuesday, the Sooner coach tweeted out an added incentive for students to attend the contest. The first 200 students to arrive at the stadium would receive hand-delivered pizza from Moser himself.
And if you offer free pizza, students will come.
OU recorded a season-high attendance of 9,296 spectators against Kansas, and the crowd was highlighted by a packed student section.
The advantage of added support was evident in the early going when Gibson stole the ball on defense and raced down the court. He then hit Agbaji with a hesitation move on the perimeter before blowing past him for a layup that prompted a roar from the crowd.
"I just want to thank them," Moser said. "I thought it was great. The students were unbelievable. It was a high-level college game."
Moser's pizza persuasion isn't the only example of his initiative to fill the seats.
The former Loyola Chicago head coach secured free tickets to OU home games all season for students on Dec. 6, 2021. He did so by making a bet with athletic director Joe Castiglione in which Moser sank a half-court shot.
Sooners stay alive with second-chance points
David McCormack did all he could to contain Tanner Groves.
But it wasn't enough.
OU trailed 22-15 with 9:07 left in the first half when Gibson launched a 3-point attempt that clanked off the rim. McCormack was in prime position to do what he does best: rebound the ball.
The 6-foot-10 senior entered Tuesday averaging a team-high 6.5 boards per game, but this one got away from him.
Groves snatched the ball out of the air before McCormack could get to it and went back up for a close-range bucket. OU trailed 34-32 at halftime, but it stayed within striking distance thanks to its work on the offensive glass.
OU entered Tuesday averaging 7.5 offensive rebounds and 7.2 second-chance points per game. It tallied eight offensive rebounds and 10 second-chance points against Kansas in the first half alone.
The Sooners finished with 12 offensive boards, which they converted into 16 second-chance points.
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OU gets crucial boost from its bench
OU nearly pulled off an upset on Tuesday thanks in part to some key contributions off the bench.
C.J. Noland set the tone in the first half. The freshman guard tallied a team-high eight points in eight minutes, although he didn't play in the second half after entering concussion protocols during the break.
Other backups picked up the slack in Noland's absence, though.
Bijan Cortes stuffed the stat sheet with two points, two assists, a steal and a block in 18 minutes off the bench. The 6-foot-3 freshman's highlight moment came with 14:08 left in the contest when he swatted away a layup attempt by Agbaji from behind.
OU also got a boost from Akol Mawein.
Fellow forward Ethan Chargois missed a second straight game, but Mawein capitalized on the expanded role by tallying five points and four rebounds in 11 minutes. All four of his boards came on the offensive glass.
"I think (Mawein) just came into practice this last week focused, ready to grind and ready to work," Hill said. "I think he can keep improving on this. He came in and gave us a huge boost that was very much needed."
Justin Martinez can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or @JTheSportsDude on Twitter. Make sure to subscribe to The Oklahoman to stay up to date with all local sports.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. Kansas men's basketball: Three takeaways from the Sooners' loss
