Sooners advance to Crown semifinals with 90-86 win over Colorado
Oklahoma entered Las Vegas as one of the hottest teams in the country and, while it wasn’t pretty, the Sooners advanced to the semifinals of the Crown with an 88-86 win over Colorado as they continue to compete for the $300,000 prize.
The Sooners got off to a slow start, trailing Colorado early. With Dayton Forsythe unavailable, Kuol Atak saw extended minutes in the first half and provided a spark off the bench. Atak led Oklahoma with eight points in 11 first-half minutes.
It was not a strong first half for Oklahoma, as Colorado’s Barrington Hargress totaled 13 points and had the Buffaloes leading 41-37 at the break. The Sooners struggled to find rhythm, though their bench, led by Atak and Jadon Jones, who had six first-half points, kept them within striking distance.
The second half followed a similar script until Oklahoma caught fire from deep, taking a 61-58 lead with 8:19 remaining after holding Colorado without a field goal for over three minutes. That stretch gave Oklahoma its first lead since the 17:49 mark of the first half.
That run continued, as the Sooners went on a 10-0 run to build a 65-58 lead behind a surge from Nijel Pack. Colorado responded quickly, cutting the lead to one with 5:24 to play.
With 3:28 remaining, Colorado had gone nearly eight minutes without a field goal, yet Oklahoma led just 69-66. The Sooners later held a 74-70 lead with 50.5 seconds remaining before fouling, allowing Colorado to cut it to two.
Hargress then tied the game at 74-74 with a left-handed layup in traffic with 1.6 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, despite Pack heating up, Oklahoma struggled to get stops, and Colorado took an 83-82 lead with 1:33 remaining. Tae Davis responded with two free throws to give Oklahoma an 84-83 lead with 1:10 left. Colorado answered with two free throws of its own before Xzayvier Brown drew a foul and made two free throws, putting Oklahoma back in front 86-85.
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Colorado missed on its next possession, and the Sooners closed it out to secure an 88-86 win and advance.
NOTES
— Nijel Pack finished with 20 points and five assists in 37 minutes, shooting 7-of-18 from the field and 3-of-10 from three.
— Tae Davis added 19 points in 37 minutes on 6-of-15 shooting.
— Kuol Atak provided a big lift with 16 points in 27 minutes, shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 4-of-10 from three.
— Jadon Jones played 29 minutes before fouling out, finishing with six points, six rebounds, and three blocks.
— Xzayvier Brown totaled 15 points and two steals in 38 minutes.
— Mohamed Wague recorded seven points and eight rebounds, going 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
— Derrion Reid fouled out with 6:03 remaining, finishing with five points in 12 minutes due to foul trouble.
— Kirill Elatontsev (8 minutes) and Kai Rogers (4 minutes) did not score.
Oklahoma will face the winner of Baylor vs. Minnesota on Saturday, April 4 at 12:30 p.m. CT on FOX. With the win, the Sooners have secured at least $50,000 in prize money. A win in the semifinals would guarantee $100,000.
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