Fears scores 27 as OU knocks off Bulldogs

NORMAN — Jeremiah Fears had 27 points and a career-high 10 assists, and Oklahoma defeated No. 21 Mississippi State 93-87 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing skid and revive its NCAA Tournament hopes.

Fears, an 18-year-old freshman, made 7 of 12 field goals and 11 of 14 free throws. It was one of his most efficient performances overall and his second-best scoring effort of the season.

Jalon Moore scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and Sam Godwin had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners (17-10, 4-10 Southeastern Conference).

Josh Hubbard scored 19 points and KeShawn Murphy added 16 for Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7), which was coming off wins against ranked opponents Mississippi and Texas A&M.

Mississippi State led 37-34 at halftime, despite 15 points from Fears.

Moore made a 3-pointer, then dunked on a fast break to put the Sooners up 44-41 early in the second half. He hit another 3-pointer to push the margin to 53-48.

Oklahoma’s Brycen Goodine hit a 3-pointer from the corner and was fouled with 4:50 remaining. He made the free throw to put the Sooners up 81-69.

Mississippi State kept scrapping. Claudell Harris Jr. made a contested corner 3 to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 90-87 with 28 seconds remaining.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had 20 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points yet shot just 39.7% from the field.

Oklahoma: The Sooners, who have struggled with mistakes this season, committed just 11 turnovers.

Key moment

Moore collected a defensive rebound in traffic and was fouled with 11.3 seconds remaining. He made the first of two free throws to give Oklahoma a 93-87 lead.

Key stat

Oklahoma shot 68% from the field in the second half and 52.7% overall.

Up next

Mississippi State visits No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday night.

Oklahoma hosts No. 17 Kentucky on Wednesday night.