Oklahoma leans on defense to best Florida

Grant Sherfield scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Oklahoma to a 62-53 come-from-behind win over Florida on Tuesday in the inaugural Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.

The Sooners' success for much of the season had been dependent on their strong shooting, as they entered the game shooting 51.5 percent from the floor.

But against the Gators, Oklahoma found a different way to win.

The Sooners shot just 39.6 percent from the floor, their second-worst performance this season, but hit seven 3-pointers while holding Florida to just 2 of 22 (9.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

Sherfield gave Oklahoma the lead for good with just under 13 minutes to play when Otega Oweh's steal from Trey Bonham led to Sherfield's fastbreak 3-pointer on the other end.

The Sooners outscored Florida 15-4 on the fastbreak.

Sherfield was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, including 3-for-5 in the second half.

Tanner Groves added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners (9-3), who have won back-to-back games. Jalen Hill pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, while Milos Uzan continued to provide a spark in his fourth start with nine rebounds and five assists.

Colin Castleton led Florida with 22 points, going 8 of 15 from the floor. Bonham added 14 points for the Gators (7-5). Bonham scored 10 of his points in the first half, when he got to the free-throw line five times. He didn't attempt a free throw in the second half.

Florida led by as many as 11 points in the first half, turning up the heat defensively to jump ahead 27-16 nearly 13 minutes into the game.

But the Sooners, who had shot at least 57.1 percent in each of their last three games, finally found some offensive life just before halftime.

Oklahoma ended the half on a 13-4 run, with five points from Groves, to cut the deficit to 31-29 at the break.