West Virginia Mountaineers vs Oklahoma Sooners Match Player Stats On Feb 08, 2020

Kristian Doolittle scored 27 points to help Oklahoma knock off No. 13 West Virginia 69-59 in Big 12 action Saturday afternoon in Norman, Okla.

The Sooners closed out the first half on a 22-10 run to take a seven-point lead into halftime, and the Mountaineers never made a serious push in the second half.

Doolittle played a big role in the Sooners overcoming West Virginia's defensive pressure, regularly handling the ball as Oklahoma worked to break the press.

It wasn't until the final six minutes of the game -- after Oklahoma had built an 18-point lead -- that the Mountaineers' pressure was effective.

West Virginia forced 19 Oklahoma turnovers but six of those came in the final six minutes.

Sooners coach Lon Kruger made a change to his starting lineup, inserting junior Alondes Williams in place of freshman guard De'Vion Harmon.

But at the end of the first half, it was Harmon who came up with a pair of big buckets to help the Sooners go into halftime with a 31-24 lead.

West Virginia had a chance to cut the lead to one just before half when Chase Harler drained a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.

But as Harler was elevating for the shot, Derek Culver was called for a foul underneath the basket to negate Harler's score.

After a review for a potential flagrant foul, Harmon dribbled down the clock before draining a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to extend Oklahoma's lead to seven.

Brady Manek added 11 for the Sooners.

West Virginia dominated the glass early, especially on their offensive end, scoring 11 of their first 16 points on second chances.

But when 6-foot-9 Oscar Tshiebwe went to the bench with two fouls with more than 13 minutes left in the first half, the Sooners were able to hold their own on the boards and find an offensive flow.

A stretch where the Sooners (15-8 overall, 5-5 Big 12) went 6 of 7 from the floor and West Virginia missed all but one of 11 shots helped Oklahoma reel off a 17-2 run and build a 10-point lead.

Jermaine Haley led the Mountaineers (18-5, 6-4) with 15 points. Tshiebwe contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes.

--Field Level Media