Moore, Fears help No. 12 OU put away Prairie View 89-67 to remain unbeaten

OU Campus

By TONY SELLARS Associated Press

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jalon Moore scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, freshman star Jeremiah Fears added 19, and No. 12 Oklahoma remained one of the four unbeaten teams in Division I men’s basketball by putting away a pesky Prairie View squad, 89-67 on Sunday.

Prairie View cut the Oklahoma lead to single digits on several occasions in the second half, but could get no closer than eight before the Sooners (13-0) eventually pushed the lead above 20 points in the closing minutes.

Oklahoma took a 43-32 halftime lead despite hitting only one field goal in the final 10 minutes. The Sooners compensated for that drought by hitting 18 of 19 free throws in the first 20 minutes.

Duke Miles was 7 for 7 at the foul line and hit both field goal attempts, both 3-pointers, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first half.

Fears, twice the SEC freshman of the week this season, shot 7 of 11 to eclipse his average of 18 points per game.

The loss was the 12th straight for Prairie View (1-12), with its only win this season coming against a non-NCAA team. Tanahj Pettaway scored 22 points and Marcel Bryant had 14.

Takeaway
Oklahoma couldn’t put the Panthers away despite taking double-digits leads on several occasions in the game.

Key Moment
Prairie View cut the Sooners’ lead to nine for the final time with 8 minutes to play, before Moore sparked a 22-9 finish to clinch the victory.

Key Stat
Oklahoma shot 35 free throws, hitting 32. Prairie View was just 5 for 7.

Up Next
The Sooners open the new year and SEC play at Alabama on Saturday afternoon.