With 24 seconds left, the Sooners led LSU by five points. Surely they close it out, right?

Wrong. Instead of finding a way to win, Porter Moser’s squad found a way to lose — marking, without question, the worst loss of his four-year tenure at Oklahoma.

Cam Carter delivered the dagger for LSU, scoring the key baskets in the final moments to complete the comeback. He finished with 29 points on 10-17 shooting from the field and 5-10 from beyond the arc. Damion Collins was a major problem for Oklahoma as well, adding 22 points on 8-10 shooting and knocking down a three.

Despite leading by as many as 13 in the second half — and holding a five-point lead with 24 seconds left — the Sooners couldn’t put the Tigers away, letting what should have been a surefire win slip through their fingers.

Here’s the Report Card from the 82-79 collapse that dropped Oklahoma to 16-9 (3-9):

With 24 seconds left, LSU took a timeout. Out of the break, Carter knocked down a three-pointer and drew a foul on Jalon Moore, turning a 79-74 Oklahoma lead into a 79-78 game with 20 seconds left.

Then, Moore turned it over on the inbounds, leading to a Carter layup despite getting fouled by Duke Miles. After the made free throw, LSU led 81-79 with eight seconds remaining.

On Friday, Moser talked a lot about eliminating “slippage” — unnecessary mistakes like turnovers and bad fouls. In the final 30 seconds, Oklahoma committed both, plus the inexplicable mistake of fouling a three-point shooter while up five.

There was plenty of “slippage” on display in the final minute, resulting in a brutal collapse.

Fears finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and five turnovers in 31 minutes, shooting 5-15 from the field and 2-5 from three. He had some strong moments offensively but was inconsistent overall and plagued by turnovers.

Moore added 14 points and seven rebounds, going 3-10 from the field but a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Despite his production, his late-game mistakes played a major role in Oklahoma’s collapse.

Miles contributed 12 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists on an efficient 2-3 shooting from the field and 8-8 from the line. Brycen Goodine chipped in seven points, shooting 3-6 overall and 1-4 from deep.

Sam Godwin finished with seven points and seven rebounds but had a costly missed layup in the second half that resulted in a six-point swing — one of many critical errors for the Sooners.

Ultimately, while players like Fears and Miles had bright spots, the late-game mistakes from key contributors doomed Oklahoma in the end.

The Sooners put their trust in Dayton Forsythe down the stretch, and he delivered with key plays. He hit a turnaround jumper to give Oklahoma a three-point lead with just over a minute remaining before the Sooners ultimately collapsed.

Forsythe finished with eight points, four rebounds, and zero turnovers, shooting 2-5 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line in 18 minutes of action.

Kobe Elvis had some nice moments in the first half but played just three minutes in the second. He finished with eight points on 4-9 shooting but struggled from deep, going 0-3.

Mohamed Wague also contributed solid minutes, scoring seven points on a perfect 3-3 from the field.

The Sooners struggled mightily from beyond the arc, shooting just 3-18 (16.7%). Jeremiah Fears accounted for two of those makes, while Brycen Goodine hit the other.

It’s nearly impossible to win an SEC game shooting that poorly from deep, yet Oklahoma still had every opportunity to close it out. That, more than anything, highlights why LSU entered this game with a 1-10 conference record.

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