OU Basketball: Texas Overpowers No. 11 Oklahoma in Norman

Slow starts have plagued Oklahoma on a number of occasions in conference play, and Tuesday night was no different.

Unable to harness the energy in the arena, the Sooners started the game shooting 4-of-17 from the floor, allowing Texas to build an early 18-9 advantage.

But Moore put an end to the early struggles.

He ignited the Lloyd Noble center with two monster dunks on back-to-back possessions in front of the student section, finishing through contact and sinking a free throw after the second dunk to cut Texas’ lead to four.

Not to be outdone, John Hugley IV took flight to power home another dunk, giving the Sooners their first lead at 21-20 its 5:21 left until halftime, forcing Longhorn coach Rodney Terry to burn a timeout.

The break didn’t halt OU’s run, as Rivaldo Soares drew a charge on the ensuing possession to give the ball right back to Oklahoma.

Another bench piece then stepped up for Moser.

Le’Tre Darthard was left alone and he drilled a 3-pointer cap off a 12-0 OU run.

From there, it was game on, and the Sooners took a 33-32 advantage into halftime.

Unfortunately for Oklahoma, the second half started much like the first half.

OU’s offense went cold and the other end of the floor didn’t treat the hosts much better, as Texas built a 47-39 lead less than five minutes into the half on the back of a 13-1 scoring burst.

But with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on the front row as Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione’s guest, the game was bound to tighten back up.

The Sooners clawed their way back in the game by forcing four straight defensive stops, aided by a lineup tweak by Moser.

With Sam Godwin in foul trouble and largely unable to handle Texas’ athleticism, Oklahoma platooned Hugley and Moore at center.

The sacrifice of extra size for speed paid off, and OU cut Texas’ lead down to just a single possession with 10 minutes remaining.

Oklahoma’s perimeter defense faltered, however, and the Longhorns took advantage.

Abmas, the Oral Roberts transfer, responded to OU tying the game at 52 by shaking the defense well beyond the 3-point line and sinking a pair of bombs.

Disu then added one himself, building the lead to a game-high 11 points with just over eight minutes remaining.

Just as it did against Kansas, Oklahoma’s offense went cold in the face of the pressure. OU shot 3-of-15 from the floor over the last 10 minutes, allowing the Longhorns to steal the crucial win at the Lloyd Noble Center and send the crowd packing three minutes before the final buzzer sounded.

Turnovers weren’t the issue, as the Sooners actually won that battle 13-8, but Texas shot 44 percent from deep to OU’s 21 percent, proving to be the difference in the game.

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier, either.

Oklahoma’s next game will be in Norman, but the Sooners will host No. 20 Texas Tech on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center. 

• Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news!
• Want even more Sooners news? Check out the SI.com OU team page here!
• Listen and subscribe to the AllSooners Podcast!
• Watch more Sooners videos and subscribe on YouTube!
• Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!