West Virginia Mountaineers vs Oklahoma Sooners Match Player Stats On Jan 02, 2021

Umoja Gibson scored 29 points to lead Oklahoma to a 75-71 win over No. 9 West Virginia on Saturday in Norman, Okla.

The Sooners let an 18-point halftime lead slip away before Gibson came through down the stretch.

After the Mountaineers fought back to tie it, Gibson scored 11 consecutive points to help Oklahoma get back on top, 60-55.

West Virginia, with help from some missed free throws by Oklahoma down the stretch, stayed close but couldn't catch up again.

Austin Reaves missed his first seven 3-pointers before hitting one with 3:41 remaining to extend the Sooners' lead to 65-60 and give the Sooners some breathing room.

It was Oklahoma's third consecutive win over the Mountaineers and an important one for the Sooners (6-2, 2-1 Big 12), who were playing their second of four consecutive games against top-15 opponents.

The Mountaineers (8-3, 1-2) were playing without Oscar Tshiebwe for the first time after he left the program for personal reasons this week. Tshiebwe was averaging 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds this season.

Without Tshiebwe to account for, the Sooners were able to double Derek Culver early. The Sooners forced 12 first-half turnovers, turning them into 11 points.

Gibson fueled Oklahoma's offense early, with four first-half 3-pointers. He finished with a career-high eight 3-pointers. Gibson, who is in his first year with the Sooners, hit seven 3-pointers three times during his three years at North Texas.

After building a big lead early, the Sooners' 18-point lead quickly shrunk early in the second half.

West Virginia scored the first nine points after the break and eventually chipped away and tied the score 49-49 less than 10 minutes in with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by Taz Sherman.

Sherman was a major reason for the Mountaineers' second-half push, scoring all 19 of his points in the second half. Sherman hit four 3-pointers.

Jalen Bridges also scored 19 for the Mountaineers.

--Field Level Media