NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma’s NCAA Tournament aspirations received a significant boost as freshman guard Jeremiah Fears achieved a personal best by scoring 31 points, leading his team to a 96-84 victory over the 15th-ranked Missouri on Wednesday night. This victory marks Oklahoma’s (18-12, 5-12 Southeastern Conference) fifth triumph over a Top 25 team this season, with Missouri being the highest-ranked opponent they have beaten. Prior to this game, Oklahoma narrowly lost to ranked teams Kentucky and Ole Miss by a total of four points.
For Missouri (21-9, 10-7), which has now lost three out of their last four games, Mark Mitchell contributed 18 points, while Caleb Grill provided 16 points along with eight rebounds. Earlier, on February 12, Missouri had defeated Oklahoma 82-58. However, in this rematch, Oklahoma shot an impressive 69% from the field during the first half, seizing a 50-37 advantage at halftime, marking their highest-scoring first half this season.
During Senior Night, Oklahoma’s Sam Godwin added 12 points before sustaining an injury with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. Despite not returning to the game, he supported his team from the bench, his right knee encased in a large ice bag and supported by a brace.
A significant moment occurred when Missouri’s T.O. Barrett committed a flagrant foul against Fears, leading to two successful free throws and extending Oklahoma’s lead to 63-45. In terms of takeaways, Missouri has now permitted at least 90 points in four of their last five games. On the other hand, Oklahoma demonstrated improved ball-handling by committing only four turnovers in the first half, summing up to nine by the game’s end, against a season average of 12.6 per game in the conference.
A pivotal moment unfolded when Fears drove the entire court to score a layup, was subsequently fouled, and then sealed a three-point play with just 47 seconds left, putting Oklahoma ahead 92-78.
Highlighting a key statistic, the Sooners had an outstanding performance from the free-throw line, converting 25 of 26 shots, including 19 of 20 during the second half.
In upcoming games, Missouri is set to conclude its regular season at home against the 19th-ranked Kentucky this Saturday, while Oklahoma will face off against its rival, Texas, on the same day.
