Jalon Moore, Oklahoma hold off Northwestern State

Field Level Media|published: Mon 11th November, 22:27 2024

Oct 15, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Jalon Moore talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Jalon Moore scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half as Oklahoma shook off a slow start to beat Northwestern State 73-57 on Monday night in Norman, Okla.

Moore also collected seven rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. Jeremiah Fears added 15 points and had four steals for the Sooners (2-0), who held a 32-6 advantage in points off turnovers. Sam Godwin chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.

Micah Thomas tallied 20 points and Addison Patterson scored 16 to lead the Demons (1-2), who were a 25 1/2-point underdog but led by eight points early in the second half. Willie Williams paired 11 points with 10 boards.

The Sooners trailed 40-32 with 16:37 left before engineering a 19-4 run to pull ahead 51-44 with 8:58 to play. Moore scored 10 points during the surge, including a 3-pointer that put Oklahoma up for good at 44-42 with 13:16 remaining.

A 7-0 spurt later in the half pushed the Sooners' lead to 58-47, and Northwestern State never drew closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Oklahoma hit 17 of 22 free throws compared to the Demons' 7-of-11 clip and outscored Northwestern State 16-4 in transition.

The Sooners missed their first six shots of the game and remained cold throughout the first half, finishing 10 of 30 (33.3 percent) from the floor. Oklahoma scored 15 points off of 10 Demons turnovers in the half to keep pace with the visitors, who shot 14 of 24 (58.3 percent) in the opening 20 minutes.

Northwestern State built a 5-0 lead amid the Sooners' early shooting struggles, but its ball security issues helped Oklahoma crawl ahead 14-9 midway through the half.

That's when the Demons dialed in and hit 10 of their final 12 shots before halftime, including their last five to carry a 34-28 lead into the break. Thomas led all first-half scorers with 11 points and added three 3-pointers for Northwestern State.

The Sooners finally found their footing after Jerald Colonel's dunk put the Demons up 40-32 with 16:37 left.

Moore and Kobe Elvis each hit a pair of free throws to trim the deficit in half, and Fears scored the game's next five points to propel Oklahoma ahead 41-40. Patterson's tip-in put Northwestern State back in front before Moore responded with his go-ahead triple.

--Field Level Media