The Sooners traveled to Oxford on Saturday for a critical matchup against Ole Miss—a game they desperately needed to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. With two wins in their final three games likely necessary to feel secure, Oklahoma instead suffered another heartbreaking loss, this time at the hands of Edmond, Oklahoma native Sean Pedulla.

The first half was a struggle offensively, and midway through, the Sooners found themselves down by 11 with 7:26 left. But then, Duke Miles sparked a 6-0 run on his own, Jeremiah Fears followed with seven straight points, and suddenly, Oklahoma was right back in it, trailing just 39-38 at halftime.

With 7:50 left in the game, Oklahoma faced a nine-point deficit, down 69-60. That’s when Dayton Forsythe took over, delivering a spectacular second half in which he scored 23 of his career-high 25 points, willing the Sooners into yet another tight contest down the stretch. The game was tied at 80-80 with 1:25 to play.

After a clutch layup by Miles, Oklahoma held an 84-82 lead with 29 seconds remaining—but then, Pedulla drilled a dagger three-pointer, sealing an 87-84 loss and dropping the Sooners to 17-12 (4-12).

Here’s a look at the report card from the loss:

Every time Oklahoma scored, it felt like they just couldn’t get a stop. It didn’t help that the Rebels shot 22 free throws in the second half, but ultimately, whether it was Pedulla, who dropped 26 points, or Jaemyn Brakefield, who added 16, the Sooners couldn’t string together enough stops when it mattered.

In the first half, Oklahoma briefly switched to a zone defense—a curious decision, considering this was the kind of matchup where a switch-everything strategy seemed like the better play.

Overall, it was a rough day defensively for the Sooners, with plenty of lapses, especially in the second half.

Forsythe was incredible down the stretch. He had a few defensive missteps in the first half, but when it mattered most, he was absolutely clutch.

The freshman finished with a career-high 25 points, including a staggering 23 in the second half. Even more remarkable—he shot 7-9 from the field, 4-5 from three, and was a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line.

He delivered big shot after big shot, stepping up in a game where Oklahoma’s leading scorer, Jalon Moore, managed just two points. Forsythe has had impressive performances before, but this was undoubtedly his best yet. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, they couldn’t capitalize on it—but the Dale, Oklahoma native did everything he could to bring the Sooners back.

Miles did a phenomenal job swinging momentum back in Oklahoma’s favor when they needed it in the first half. He totaled nine points and four rebounds on 2-4 shooting from the field and a perfect 2-2 from deep, serving as the X-factor early.

Though he played just 11 minutes in the second half, he made two clutch buckets—including the layup that gave Oklahoma the lead with 29 seconds remaining. He finished with 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds on an efficient 5-8 from the field and 2-3 from three.

He provided a spark in the first half and delivered in key moments late. Overall, it was a strong showing from Miles.

This loss adds to a string of heartbreakers for Oklahoma, a bubble team that desperately needed a win this week but instead suffered two crushing defeats—one at the hands of a former Sooner and the other courtesy of an Oklahoma native who had visited during the transfer portal process.

Now sitting at 4-12 in conference play, the Sooners face a must-win scenario next week. They’ll need victories in both of their remaining regular-season games—hosting Missouri on Wednesday night (7:00 p.m. CT, SEC Network+) before heading to Austin for a showdown with Texas on Saturday (7:00 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

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