Oklahoma

Hield's 3-Pointer Lifts No. 3 Oklahoma Past No. 24 Texas

Texas isn't celebrating its close call at No. 3 Oklahoma.

Buddy Hield's 3-pointer from the left wing with 1.3 seconds remaining lifted the Sooners to a 63-60 victory over the 24th-ranked Longhorns.

"I don't think you come out of any loss feeling good if you're a competitor, and we came here to win," said Texas coach Shaka Smart whose team entered the Top 25 for the first time this season earlier Monday.

Hield scored 12 of his 27 points in the final 3:11, including two 3-pointers. Smart gave Hield credit for the way he closed the game.

"He's a terrific player," Smart said. "Best player in the country. For most of the game, we did a really good job on him, considering how good a player he is. Down the stretch, he really was aggressive. He got to the foul line, and obviously, hit that big shot."

Isaiah Cousins added 17 points for the Sooners (20-3, 8-3 Big 12), who trailed for most of the game. Oklahoma bounced back from a loss at Kansas State on Saturday that cost it the No. 1 ranking. The Sooners beat the Longhorns for the sixth straight time and increased their home winning streak to 19 games.

Isaiah Taylor scored 19 points and Kendal Yancy added a season-high 13 points for Texas (16-8, 7-4), which had won four straight and seven of eight.

Both teams shot 40 percent from the field, but the Sooners outscored the Longhorns 14-6 from the free throw line.

Hield made two free throws with 1:19 remaining to put the Sooners up 60-58.

Taylor made two free throws with 57.1 seconds to go to tie it at 60. Hield missed a short jumper, but Taylor committed an offensive foul on the other end, giving Oklahoma the chance to set up Hield for the final shot. Hield intercepted Texas' inbounds pass and ran out the clock.

Texas jumped to an 11-3 lead as its fullcourt pressure threw Oklahoma out of rhythm. The Sooners inched their way back into the game, but Texas closed the first half on an 11-4 run to take a 31-22 lead. Yancy scored all of his points in the first half after scoring no more than seven points in a game this season. He made all five of his shots, including three 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.

Oklahoma shot 28 percent in the first half and scored its lowest point total for a half this season. Hield scored six points on 1-for-6 shooting before the break.

Oklahoma opened the second half on a 7-1 run. Consecutive layups by Ryan Spangler cut Texas' lead to 32-29 and forced the Longhorns to call a timeout.

A 3-pointer by Cousins tied the score at 39, and the game was tight the rest of the way.

"We've just got to learn and get better," Smart said. "But what we're not going to do is come out of here and drop our heads and feel sorry for ourselves, because in this conference, nobody cares if you feel sorry for yourself. No one's going to join you in that pity party."

TIP-INS

Texas: Committed just four turnovers in the first half. ...  Yancey had six rebounds in the first half. ... Outrebounded Oklahoma 36-34.

Oklahoma: The Sooners, who entered the game leading the nation in 3-point shooting, made 4 of 11 from beyond the arc in the first half. ... Had just four assists before the break. ... Hield had four turnovers in the first half. ... Spangler had eight points and 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT

Texas plays at No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday.

Oklahoma hosts No. 7 Kansas on Saturday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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