Oweh has career-best effort against Sooners

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s fans yapped at Kentucky’s Otega Oweh all game long.

The ex-Sooner guard made the final statement. He scored a career-high 28 points and banked in an off-balance floater with six seconds remaining for the winner against his former team as No. 17 Kentucky beat Oklahoma 83-82 on Wednesday night.

“I just tried to impose my will, whatever way that was,” he said.

Oweh was the second-leading scorer on Oklahoma’s team with 11.4 points per game last season before transferring. He had averaged a team-best 15.7 points per game this season for Kentucky heading into the matchup with the Sooners.

He was booed loudly during introductions and throughout the game. At one point, Oklahoma students chanted “He’s a traitor” while Oweh stood at the free-throw line.

He scored Kentucky’s final 18 points, seemingly feeding off the energy. Oklahoma fans even booed Oweh after the game as he walked across the court for a postgame interview.

“I mean, it’s a great feeling coming to your old space, getting a win,” he said. “As a basketball player, it’s just cool to go in there, to have that.”

Oklahoma coach Porter Moser had no answers for his former star. Oweh scored 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting in the second half.

Moser said his Sooners played well and played hard but it wasn’t their night.

“You’ve got to tip your hats off,” Moser said. “I thought Kentucky, and then I thought Otega, made some just absolute huge plays down the stretch.”

Jalon Moore, who led Oklahoma with 20 points, said there’s no hard feelings.

“It was cool playing with Otega,” he said. “It’s my brother. I wish him nothing but success. It’s good just coming at it — in there to compete, and that’s it.”

Kentucky won on the road for just the third time all season. Wildcats coach Mark Pope said this was the kind of late-season test his team needed. And now he knows he has a player who can carry the load under stress.

“I do think our guys captured or had an experience tonight that they will call back on when we get in this, in a very similar game,” he said. “And so I love that. I love that we have it in our pocket.”