In the previous two losses for Oklahoma, it was really easy to figure out why. There were certain aspects of the game where the Sooners just didn’t execute.

For the majority of the game Tuesday night vs. Kansas, however, that wasn’t the case. Effort was there for all 40 minutes. Execution was there for quite a bit, but the result remains ever elusive for Porter Moser’s group right now.

It was the Jayhawks hitting all the tough shots in the final minutes, taking down OU 67-64 at Lloyd Noble Center to give OU its third consecutive loss.

It was Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun, the veteran leaders for the Jayhawks, nailing one clutch contested shot after another, deflating what was a tremendous crowd for OU (12-6 overall, 2-4 in Big 12) in its first game at home since classes started again.

“That was the message to the guys,” head coach Porter Moser said. “I think we’re gonna win a lot of games. The way they played. Our guys played so hard. We did a lot of good things. We had three turnovers in the second half. Talked about that at halftime. And actually, one or two came in the first minute. We did a lot of good things.

“You can’t forget that feeling. This feeling sucks. You have to be sitting there in your belly and think about it as you lift, watch film, train, practice. You can’t forget how this feels because this is where we want to go. We want to win these games.”

There was a lot to like, no kidding. It was a quality outing from point guard Jordan Goldwire, who led the way with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and just one turnover.

It was another gritty outing by Jalen Hill, scoring 10 points with seven rebounds and making the hustle plays he has become known for.

A lot of good, except the result. But that’s what stings.

“Just have to get over the hump. That’s the message,” Moser said. “We’re not gonna lose these guys. We wanna come back and play Baylor right away with these guys and how hard they’re playing. They’re not happy. They’re not satisfied. We’ll get right back to it and start preparing for Baylor.”

OU led 56-52 with 4:11 left before Agbaji and Braun took over, scoring 13 of KU’s final 13 points. None were bigger than the 3-pointer by Braun with 10.9 seconds left to give KU a 65-62 advantage.

It doesn’t get any easier for OU, with No. 5 Baylor coming to LNC on Saturday afternoon. The Bears won at West Virginia on Tuesday evening.

Notes and observations

*Freshman C.J. Noland provided a big lift off the bench in the first half, scoring eight points. But he took a shot in the head/face area in the final seconds of the first half. Moser confirmed Noland was in concussion protocol for the second half.

*OU went its second game in a row without Ethan Chargois because of ankle injury. AK Mawein had his best game as a Sooner, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds, all on the offensive end.

*OU trailed 44-32 early in the second half before going on a 20-2 run. Again, the Sooners continue to show how good they can be in stretches. But closing out and maintaining consistency is something that the group will have to continue to work toward against a brutal stretch of games coming up.