NORMAN, Okla. — Jeremiah Fears delivered an impressive performance, scoring 27 points and achieving a career-best 10 assists, as the Oklahoma Sooners triumphed over the 21st-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs with a score of 93-87 on Saturday. This victory broke a streak of five consecutive losses and reignited Oklahoma’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Fears, a talented 18-year-old freshman, showcased his prowess by completing 7 of his 12 shots from the field and hitting 11 out of 14 free throws. This outing marked one of the most efficient displays of his young career and was his second-highest scoring game this season. Alongside Fears, Jalon Moore was instrumental in the win, contributing 15 of his 18 points during a second-half surge, while Sam Godwin added 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Sooners, who improved to 17-10 overall and 4-10 in the Southeastern Conference.
On the opposing side, Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 19 points, and KeShawn Murphy supported him with 16 points. Mississippi State, now at 19-8 and 7-7 in the SEC, was coming off a series of victories against ranked opponents, including games against Mississippi and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs held a slight advantage at halftime, leading 37-34, with Fears contributing 15 points in the first half.
The Sooners quickly turned the tide in the second half as Moore connected on a 3-pointer and followed it with a dunk during a fast-break play, giving Oklahoma a 44-41 lead early in the half. Moore added another three-pointer that extended the Sooners’ lead to 53-48. Brycen Goodine then made a corner three-pointer and was fouled, successfully converting the free throw to stretch Oklahoma’s lead to 81-69 with just under five minutes remaining.
Despite the disadvantage, Mississippi State continued to fight back. Claudell Harris Jr. made a contested three-pointer from the corner, narrowing the gap to just 90-87 with 28 seconds on the clock.
The game provided several key insights. For Mississippi State, despite securing 20 offensive rebounds and earning 21 second-chance points, they struggled with shooting, finishing at only 39.7% from the field. In contrast, Oklahoma, who struggled with turnovers earlier in the season, managed to limit their mistakes to just 11 throughout the game.
A pivotal moment occurred when Moore snagged a defensive rebound and drew a foul with only 11.3 seconds left. He converted one of his two free throws, securing a 93-87 lead for the Sooners.
Another notable statistic was Oklahoma’s shooting performance: they achieved a remarkable 68% from the field in the second half and a solid 52.7% overall.
Looking ahead, Mississippi State is set to visit the fourth-ranked Alabama on Tuesday, while Oklahoma will host seventeenth-ranked Kentucky on Wednesday night.
