Oklahoma Blows Another Lead, Falls to Butler 66-62

The loss dropped the Sooners to 7-2 on the season, and saw Butler move to 6-3 on the year. 

OU started strong defensively, holding Butler to three different four-plus minute scoring droughts over the first 25 minutes of the contest, allowing them to separate themselves and keep the Bulldogs at arm’s length early in the second half.

But things got interesting with about 10 minutes left to go in the game, however.

A Chuck Harris 3-pointer punctuated a 9-0 Butler run which slashed the Sooner lead to just three, but an unlikely hero stepped up to extend the lead back out.

Jacob Groves, brother of OU’ leading scorer this season Tanner Groves, hit a deep 2-pointer and a wide open triple from the corner on back-to-back possessions, pushing the lead back out to a comfortable eight points.

The Bulldogs didn’t wilt, and pushed Oklahoma to the very end.

A Simas Lukosius 3-pointer put Butler up 50-49 with 2:31 left in the game, and Harris pushed the lead to three by draining a contested runner in the paint with 21 seconds left.

Duke transfer Jordan Goldwire responded for the Sooners, hitting a driving runner of his own on the other end of the floor, and had a chance to tie the game as he drew a foul on the bucker. But Goldwire was unable to knot the game up from the free throw line.

Butler sunk their next two free throws, but Harkless leveled the game at 54 by drilling a contest fadeaway 3-pointer with just 2.0 seconds on the clock, sending the game to overtime.

Harkless scored five quick points to start the period, but Butler again took a late lead off a Harris 3-pointer, this time putting the Bulldogs up one point with 35 seconds left on the clock.

Harris would return to torment the Sooners, putting Butler up by one with 35 seconds left in overtime.

A pair of free throws again pushed the deficit to three, but lightning failed to strike twice.

Umoja Gibson came up empty on a triple of his own, sealing the win for the Bulldogs.

Harkless led the Sooners with 16 points in the losing effort, with Tanner Groves and Goldwire both adding 10 points to the cause.

The Oklahoma shooters went cold in the second half, hitting only 37.5 percent of their field goal attempts in the second half to allow the Bulldogs back into the game.

All told, the Bulldogs only led for 3:14 all night, but escaped with the victory in the Big 12/Big East Challenge.

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Sooners.

Up next, they’ll head to the BOK Center in Tulsa to face off against future SEC foes, the No. 12-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.

Tip-off from Tulsa is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.