OU Basketball: Oklahoma's Upset Bid Over No. 6 Texas Falls Short on New Year's Eve

Though he was unable to hit the clutch shot late, Sherfield led the charge for the Sooners in the first half.

The talented scorer was the only player to reach double figures over the opening 20 minutes, pouring in 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting before halftime after missing his first three field goal attempts.

He punctuated his outstanding first half with a sweet fadeaway jumper in front of the Texas (12-1, 1-0) bench in transition, drawing a foul to complete the 3-point possession just before halftime.

OU took a 35-31 advantage into the locker room, but the game remained tight for the duration.

Both teams got off to a fast shooting start in the second half, but then Oklahoma’s offense ground to a halt.

Texas’ defense stiffened and held OU without a field goal for eight minutes. As the shots stopped falling, Oklahoma settled for brick after brick from deep, allowing the Longhorns to go on a 10-1 run and take a 46-44 lead with 10:17 remaining in the game.

But then the offense woke up.

OU forward Jalen Hill ended the drought with a tip-in off an offensive rebound, and then drained a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor.

A Marcus Carr jumper put the Longhorns back on top 51-49, but Jacob Groves ignited the best Lloyd Noble Center crowd of the season with back-to-back triples to retake a 55-51 lead, forcing Texas to burn a timeout to halt the momentum with 7:35 left.

Minutes later, Hill again put the Sooners on top 58-57 with his second connection from long range of the night, setting up the dramatic finish.

With the game tied 62-62 headed into the final minute, OU cooled off from deep.

Carr put Texas up 64-62 with 48 seconds, and on the other end the Sooner offense turned to true freshman Milos Uzan.

Right in front of Oklahoma’s bench, the guard found separation to ring up a 3-ball, but it clanked off the back iron.

The Sooners extended the game, fouling and converting quick 2-point buckets on the other end, but OU was unable to wrestle the lead back in the final 60 seconds.

Sherfield ultimately finished with 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting, adding three rebound and three assist.

Groves ended up with 17 points, knocking down 5-of-9 shots from deep, and Hill was Oklahoma’s only other player to end with double-digits after a 14-point, six rebound performance.

Texas’ bench production, which outscored OU 27-5, proved to be the difference as the Sooners starters were unable to drill the big shots down the stretch.

The Sooners won’t have much time to dwell on the loss, as they welcome Iowa State to Lloyd Noble Center at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.