The moment Oklahoma’s schedule was released, it was clear the litmus test for this team would be the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Sooners open against Providence and will face either Arizona or Davidson in their second of three games. But before the trip to Nassau, Bahamas, they had one more buy game to play.

In their first buy game, Oklahoma cruised past Lindenwood without ever putting the result in question. However, the second game against Northwestern State told a different story, as the Sooners trailed at halftime before rallying to secure the win. Against Stetson, the start was slow, but Oklahoma quickly found its rhythm and built a commanding lead.

East Texas A&M was expected to be the easiest of these four buy games, so you’d think Oklahoma would dominate, right? Not quite. The Sooners led by just five points at halftime, struggling to capitalize on good looks. They shot a dismal 3-15 (20%) from beyond the arc in the first half. The opportunities were there, but the shots simply weren’t falling.

Things turned around after halftime, particularly from three-point range. Glenn Taylor ignited the Sooners’ shooting resurgence, going 4-6 from beyond the arc in the second half. As a team, Oklahoma shot 7-17 (41.2%) from three in the final period, pulling away for an 84-56 victory. While it wasn’t the cleanest performance, the Sooners ultimately got the job done.

– Injuries:

The Sooners were without Brycen Goodine and Jadon Jones for the third consecutive game. Jones has yet to play this season, while Goodine appeared in the season opener. Jones is expected to need another week or two, but Goodine went through warmups and was in uniform tonight.

– Lineup Change:

There were no new injuries, but Oklahoma switched up its starting five. True freshman Jeremiah Fears earned his first career start, joining Kobe Elvis, Duke Miles, Jalon Moore, and Sam Godwin. This lineup, while new as starters, was Oklahoma’s second-most-used combination heading into the game. The group struggled in the first half but showed marked improvement in the second.

– First Half Struggles:

Oklahoma led just 38-33 at halftime, shooting a poor 3-15 (20.0%) from beyond the arc. If not for Miles and Fears, who scored 14 and 11 points respectively, the first half could have been much worse. The Sooners were generating quality looks but couldn’t get shots to fall.

– Kobe Elvis and Jalon Moore:

• Elvis, coming off a 24-point, six-assist performance against Stetson, had a much quieter night. He went 1-6 from the field and 0-5 from three in the first half and finished with 4 points and seven assists on 2-10 shooting overall, including 0-7 from deep.

• Moore also struggled early, shooting 1-5 in the first half for just two points. He finished with 9 points and six rebounds, shooting 3-10 from the field and 1-5 from beyond the arc.

– Standouts:

• Fears shined in his first career start, scoring a team-high 20 points with five assists. He shot 7-10 from the field and 1-4 from three, marking his best performance in Oklahoma’s first four games.

• Miles also delivered, scoring 19 points on 7-13 shooting (3-6 from three), with 14 of those points coming in the first half. Unlike his usual hot-and-cold spurts, Miles sustained his production throughout the half.

• Taylor was quiet early, with just 2 points in the first half, but came alive in the second, shooting 4-6 from three. He finished with 16 points and five rebounds, going 5-9 from the field.

– Bench Contributions:

• Taylor was the highlight off the bench with his strong second half.

• Mohamed Wague played 10 minutes, scoring 5 points.

• Dayton Forsythe logged eight minutes, seven of them in the second half, and scored 2 points.

• Jacolb Fredson-Cole totaled 2 points in 11 minutes of play.

– Team Stats:

• Oklahoma shot 28-59 (47.5%) from the field overall: 13-29 (44.8%) in the first half and 15-30 (50.0%) in the second.

• From three-point range, they finished 10-32 (31.3%): 3-15 (20.0%) in the first half and 7-17 (41.2%) in the second.

– Up Next:

The Sooners now face their toughest non-conference stretch at the Battle 4 Atlantis. They open against Providence on Wednesday, November 27, at 4:00 PM (ESPN2). Their second game will be against either Arizona or Davidson on Thursday, November 28, followed by a third game on Friday, November 29.

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