NORMAN — If there's anything this Oklahoma team has done consistently, it's flip the switch and take over the game quickly.

However, Monmouth made that difficult. In fact, the Hawks led 42-41 with 13:08 left to go in the game.

That's when the Sooners woke up. Otega Oweh converted a four-point play, Le'Tre Darthard hit a 3-pointer on the next possession and the Sooners got back-to-back dunks from Oweh and Jalon Moore.

In the span of just over four minutes, the Sooners went on a 17-1 run to completely take control of the game.

"We couldn’t get separation," OU coach Porter Moser said. "We got some separation. In the first half, we got (the lead) to like eight, but they kept cutting it. It was huge. Huge for his confidence and getting that and so much with the DCO. I thought our defense – we were getting gaps, getting stops.

"We just keep talking about continuing to defend. Continuing to defend and being hard to score against. I thought we were getting good shots... There's gonna be times where you're gonna get locked up offensively, but you better be defending. You better be locking up. And that's what I think this group has got, is, I think we're defending through offensive lulls, and that's what you've gotta have, especially heading into the Big 12."

It wasn't always pretty, but the Sooners again flipped the switch en route to a 72-56 New Year's Even win on Sunday at the Lloyd Noble Center, finishing the non-conference slate with a 12-1 record.

Here's two takeaways and some notes from the game:

The Sooners' defense came up huge, limiting Monmouth to just 36% shooting for the game. But Moore's offense in the second half was a catalyst, too.

Moore scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half while making all six of his shot attempts and all three of his 3s. His other three makes? They were dunks.

"I thought Jalon Moore was playing so much within himself," Moser said. "... Early on, they came out on him so he drove. Then they stayed back, and he hit a shot. In transition, he’s ridiculous with his effort. You see guys who are athletic, but they don’t get their athleticism into the game. Jalon Moore gets his athleticism into the game so much. Running, jumping, energy. I thought he played a phenomenal game within himself."

In addition to his 21 points (8/10 shooting), Moore added six rebounds, two blocks and a steal. His 21 points were his second most of the season.

Through 13 games, McCollum and Uzan have established a rhythm in the backcourt. When they play together, McCollum plays in more of a score-first role, while Uzan is more of a facilitator. Moser also staggers their minutes, leaving one of them on the floor at all times.

Against Monmouth, they played well individually and together. McCollum finished with 11 points (4/8 shooting), eight assists and five rebounds, while Uzan added 10 points (3/6 shooting) and eight assists.

The two guards combined for 16 assists and only three turnovers.

“I tell you what, the last couple of games they’re taking care of the ball so well," Moser said. "Eight assists each. 16 assists, three turnovers between those two. They had no turnovers in our last game. I thought that was a real positive. It’s great. It’s such a luxury because one of them went out and the next thing you know, we went on a run. It’s just such a luxury having two guys you’ve got complete confidence in with the ball.”

— Free throws ended up playing a crucial role for OU. By the time Monmouth took its first free throws of the game at the 10:56 mark of the second half, OU had already made 8-of-11 attempts. Not coincidentally, the Sooners were leading by eight.

— Kaden Cooper and Luke Northweather had some early rotation minutes in the first few weeks of the season, but a path to playing time in conference play seems unlikely for both. Cooper hadn't played the last two games before logging one garbage-time minute against Monmouth. Northweather has played just two minutes in the last three games.

Both young players have potential, but it could be awhile before either of them consistently crack the rotation.

— Former OU athlete Ryan Minor unfortunately passed away on Dec. 22 at the age of 49. Minor was an accomplished basketball player with the Sooners, earning the Big Eight Player of the Year award in 1995 and led the conference in scoring twice. He also played in both the NBA and the MLB.

Moser shared a tribute to Minor during the postgame press conference.

"I totally remember him as a player. I was at Texas A&M and I was even earlier than that before he was there. You knew as a player how good he was, but the thing that just absolutely blows my mind is the outpouring of how good a person he was. And I didn't put it together, being afar, how good he was at baseball too. I just knew him as a basketball player. I didn't know, and then you hear how good he was at both and how hard he worked at both. And then it's just mind blowing to get to the bigs in both. The NBA and Major League Baseball. That's like... you're elite of elite of elite if you can do that.

"But the coolest thing is what I told our guys, is all that's great, but the legacy he's leaving is how he did it. Like, high character, work ethic. Everybody, he had time for everybody. Literally, there's not a person that doesn't say, 'Oh man, he's one of my favorite people and he's one of my favorite players.' What a legacy that is."

— Up next for the Sooners? A home game against Iowa State next Saturday at 5 p.m. to kickoff Big 12 play.

Moser already knows what to expect.

"We know that the conference is the conference," Moser said. "It is what it is. We haven’t gotten ahead of ourselves. I thought these guys did a great job of one game in a row. The biggest game is the game right in front of you. Now we know they can (put) the non-conference in the bank. We know we’re in the best conference in the country. We know every game is going to be an absolute barn burner. I just think with the way this league is, the defenses, it’s unprecedented."