Oklahoma Sooners vs East Carolina Pirates Match Player Stats On Nov 18, 2021

Jordan Goldwire and Umoja Gibson had 13 points each to lead Oklahoma to a 79-74 win over East Carolina in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday night in Conway, South Carolina.

The Sooners led by a dozen in the second half, but the Pirates made it tight late, pulling within three on Tristen Newton's 3-pointer with 11.3 seconds left.

But Goldwire hit a pair of free throws to put the game away and keep the Sooners undefeated.

Jalen Hill and Tanner Groves scored 12 each for Oklahoma, with Goldwire adding six assists. Elijah Harkless added 10 points.

Newton led the Pirates with 18 points, 11 in the second half.

East Carolina (3-1) struggled from the floor early, shooting just 1 of 6 to start the game as the Sooners built a quick 9-2 lead.

From there, though, the Pirates settled in offensively, making 15 of their next 21 shots over the next 15 minutes. East Carolina went on a 15-5 run to take the lead by the midpoint of the first half.

With the Pirates up by one in the closing seconds of the half, Harkless drove to the basket, laying it in at the buzzer to give the Sooners a 39-38 lead at the break.

The Sooners made nearly two-thirds of their shots in the first half, going 15 of 23 from the floor. But Oklahoma turned the ball over 10 times in the half, helping keep the game tight. The Sooners (3-0) finished with a season-high 16 turnovers.

Oklahoma stretched its lead, outscoring the Pirates 22-11 over the first nine minutes of the second half.

But East Carolina wasn't going away, chipping away at the lead and pulling within three on Ludgy Debaut's layup with just more than six minutes left.

The Pirates had the ball with a chance to tie shortly thereafter, but Hill, guarding along the perimeter, forced Newton into an off-balance shot which missed the rim.

Moments later, Harkless drove the lane, dishing to Rick Issanza right under the basket for a dunk to give the Sooners a bit of breathing room.

The Pirates couldn't get within one possession until Newton's late 3-pointer.

--Field Level Media