Had to have it, and they got it. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Sooners finally secured their first SEC win of the season, rolling past South Carolina 82-62.

The first half was a mess. Oklahoma turned it over 11 times, but somehow, South Carolina was even worse with 12. That pretty much tells the story —11 first-half turnovers, just one in the second.

Once again, Jalon Moore led the way, dropping 22 points and grabbing eight rebounds while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. For South Carolina, it wasn’t Collin Murray-Boyles causing problems, it was Morris Ugusuk, who led them with 15 points.

The Sooners slammed the door with a 15-0 run late in the second half, and that was that. Let’s get into the Report Card from Oklahoma’s first SEC win.

Heading into today’s game, the Sooners were coming off back-to-back games with 18 turnovers. Early on, it looked like they might surpass that number, but they cleaned things up in the second half.

Ball security was a major issue in the first 20 minutes, as Oklahoma coughed it up 11 times before the break. But after halftime, they tightened up and turned it over just once the rest of the way.

A big reason for that improvement? Jeremiah Fears. After struggling with six turnovers against Texas, he took much better care of the ball today, finishing with just two turnovers while dishing out eight assists.

Even though they cut down on the turnovers in the second half, there’s no excuse for committing 11 turnovers in a single half of basketball.

This goes beyond Moore’s exceptional offensive performance, where he totaled 22 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and 10-11 from the free throw line, with an offensive rating of 138.

Moore was also strong on the boards, grabbing eight rebounds, but his defensive impact was just as significant. He played a key role in limiting South Carolina’s star big man, Murray-Boyles, who was held to just 11 points.

Murray-Boyles struggled with foul trouble throughout the night and eventually fouled out in the second half, playing only 22 minutes. A lot of that had to do with Moore’s aggressive approach in attacking him on both ends of the floor.

Once again, Moore delivered a strong offensive showing, and this marks the third time in Oklahoma’s five SEC games that he has scored 20+ points.

The starting five wasn’t bad in today’s game — in fact, they got two big performances from Moore, who posted 22 points and eight rebounds, and Jeremiah Fears, who stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.

But this group wasn’t the one that really ignited things. The real spark came from the bench.

The Sooners did stick with Brycen Goodine over Kobe Elvis, and while Goodine knocked down an early three, he only got one more look the rest of the first half. Goodine finished with 6 points on 2-3 shooting from behind the arc.

Duke Miles was quiet until the second half, where he scored four of his six points, finishing with just three shot attempts on the day. Sam Godwin contributed across the board with six points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad night for the starting five. Moore and Fears did their part, but it was the bench that ultimately provided the boost.

Elvis provided a scoring spark off the bench, while Dayton Forsythe, Glenn Taylor, and Mohamed Wague brought the hustle.

Elvis finished with 12 points on 4-6 shooting from beyond the arc, but he also had four turnovers. He played his best when off the ball, acting as a shooter, and his struggles came when he had to make decisions with the ball in his hands.

Forsythe, who made a case for more minutes with his performance against Texas, did nothing but strengthen that case in this game. He checked in early, quickly knocking down a mid-range jumper and adding an assist. In the second half, Forsythe trailed Miles on a fast break, got a look from deep, and drained it. He finished with 5 points on 2-3 shooting from the field and 1-1 shooting from three in 13 minutes.

Taylor continued to shine in the hustle department. While he scored just 2 points on 1-3 shooting, his impact over 26 minutes was felt through his energy and effort. Wague also made a noticeable impact despite finishing with only 4 points in 15 minutes. He struggled with foul trouble in the first half but was more active in the second half.

Additionally, Luke Northweather came in and took advantage of the pick-and-pop, drilling a three-pointer. Overall, the bench had a strong performance. Players like Taylor and Wague showed why they’re crucial to this team, and Forsythe solidified his role as someone who absolutely needs to be on the floor moving forward.

Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!

Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!

Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!