University of Oklahoma Athletics
University of Oklahoma
11-6,2-3Big 12
West Virginia
10-7,0-5Big 12
Sooners Earn Wire-To-Wire Victory Over Mountaineers
January 14, 2023 | Men's Basketball
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Grant Sherfield scored 22 points, Jalen Hill made four clutch free throws in the final minute, and Oklahoma defeated West Virginia 77-76 on Saturday.
"You can't ask for anything more than doing it [get the win} and to get the confidence to pulling it out on the close ones," said Oklahoma head men's basketball coach Porter Moser. "Two out of three, we have done it. Kansas went their way, but Texas Tech we end up pulling it out."
Hill added 14 points for Oklahoma (11-6, 2-3 Big 12) and Milos Uzan had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
At 1:40 of the second half, West Virginia's Tre Mitchell made 1 of 2 free throws and the score was tied until Hill made two free throws for a 72-70 lead. After West Virginia called timeout with 25.2 seconds left, Erik Stevenson threw up an off-balance 3-pointer and missed badly. Hill added two more free throws with 14.2 seconds left and Oklahoma closed out the win with three more free throws in four attempts. West Virginia's Seth Wilson made an unguarded 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.
Oklahoma did not make a shot in the final 6:14 but made 11 of 14 free throws, 18 of 25 for the game. Sherfield was 9-for-11 from the line. West Virginia, which had missed 48 free throws in losing its first four games in Big 12 play, was 8-for-16 against Oklahoma.
"Bottom line, he [Grant Sherfield] wants to get to the foul line at the end," said Moser. "He is an outstanding free throw shooter. Getting to the line is a big thing for him. He is good and at the end of the game it gives us all confidence."
Mitchell had 16 points, Joe Toussaint 14, Kedrian Johnson 13 and Emmitt Matthews Jr. 11 for West Virginia (10-7, 0-5).
Sherfield's four-point play and two 3-pointers by Tanner Groves led to a 47-39 lead for the Sooners with 14:52 remaining in the second half. Groves had made only 2 of 17 3-pointers in the past six games before going 2-for-2 against the Mountaineers.
With Oklahoma's lead at 55-51 Sherfield hit a 3-pointer, then made two technical free throws for a 60-53 lead. West Virginia, in the middle of making 12-of-13 shots, stayed close and trailed only 66-65 after a driving layup by Stevenson near the five-minute mark.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma travels to Stillwater, Okla., for Bedlam on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
