Another tight one for the Oklahoma basketball team, but the ending a lot different compared to the season opener.
Head coach Porter Moser doesn’t like to lament about offensive possessions late in the game as much as what you do on defense.
When the Sooners needed a stop, there was no bigger one than Jacob Groves with a chase down block in the final 20 seconds to preserve a 64-60 victory against visiting South Alabama on Friday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.
With OU nursing a 62-60 lead with 30 seconds to go, USA opted to go for the steal instead of fouling to send OU to the free throw line. It worked, forcing the ball out of Jalen Hill’s hands and looking like Owen White had a clear path for a game-tying dunk.
Instead, Jacob Groves got to play hero. Grant Sherfield corralled the loose ball, made two free throws, and OU moved to 3-1.
“Kind of one of those weird, broken down plays that just happen,” Jacob Groves said. “They kind of trapped J-Hill and got a tip on the ball. It's one of those things where Jalen Hill is a guy who had our back all night with his defense, his rebounding, his energy, his winning plays. So, you see something like that happen. It's like someone has got to step up and get his back. So I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time and was able to make a play on the ball.”
“It was kind of cool, actually. Some of the guys were saying it's probably the most athletic thing they've ever seen me do. It was good.”
Groves, coincidentally enough, made the biggest shot of the game as well. USA was up 60-59 with just under three minutes left when Groves drained a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left on the shot clock.
USA had a 60-56 lead with 5:18 left in the game, and OU’s defense rose to the occasion to shut the Jaguars down.
“I thought Jalen Hill was amazing,” Moser said. “Just really good. He made them make tough twos. I thought Tanner did a really good job on one play where Samuel was trying to get to that right shoulder. And Tanner sat his sternum on that right shoulder and made him take an off balance one. Some little things that came into play.”
A strange offensive night for the other Groves as Tanner Groves had 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Not bad, but it was bizarre to see Tanner go 0-for-10 from 3-point territory, even if it never really shook him up.
“That was probably the worst-best game I've ever had,” Tanner said. “Just scratching my head at that number because I put in a lot of work. I think that's like the worst 3-point game I've ever had in my life. But not too worried about it. The rest of the guys, even the coaches on the sideline, they were just telling me to keep shooting the ball. Keep shooting the ball.
“Moving forward, I'm just going to keep shooting that thing. I know they're eventually going to fall. I'm not too worried about that but I was trying not to let it affect my play too much. Just doing any little thing I can to help the team win.”
OU trailed 11-2, 31-19 before bouncing back for an 11-2 run to end the first half. The Sooners jumped out to a 46-41 lead in the second half, but USA simply wouldn’t go away.
Tip-ins
*An incredibly controlled performance from point guard Grant Sherfield. He didn’t come off the floor in the second half because OU wasn’t in a spot where he could get a breather.
He finished with 17 points, eight assists and just one turnover in nearly 37 minutes of action.
“He played more minutes than I wanted him to,” Moser said. “I’ve gotta talk to him because sometimes I’ll be like a guard and I’ll be like I’m gonna get you to the media (timeout). He doesn’t want to come out. And I love that about him. But he’s really hard to guard.”
*Another stellar outing off the bench from Sam Godwin. In just under nine minutes, he had nine points and five rebounds.
*Up next: OU (3-1) heads to Florida over Thanksgiving weekend for an eight-team tournament, beginning with taking on Nebraska on Thanksgiving afternoon.
