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Oklahoma holds off No. 15 Vanderbilt, snaps nine-game losing streak

Danby: Daniel Hager2 hours agoDanielHagerOn3

Oklahoma, riding a nine-game losing streak, knocked off No. 15 Vanderbilt 92-91 Saturday night in Nashville. The Commodores, which finished the game on a 32-12 run, had won three consecutive games prior to the failed comeback.

Trailing by 21 points with five minutes left, Vanderbilt led a furious comeback down the final stretch. The game got as close as three points (88-85) with 19.4 seconds remaining, but a critical steal by Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack helped stretch the lead back to five. Vanderbilt‘s Tyler Tanner hit a deep three-pointer to cut the lead to two points with 5.5 remaining, but two Oklahoma free throws sealed the deal.

With the win, the Sooners are now tied with 2-9 South Carolina for last place in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt falls to 6-4 in SEC play, good for seventh in the SEC.

Following Oklahoma‘s ninth consecutive SEC loss on Wednesday to Kentucky, head coach Porter Moser‘s hot seat grew even warmer. The victory in Nashville helps quiet some of that noise. Across four-and-a-half seasons in Norman, Moser has led the Sooners to a 75-59 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Oklahoma came out of the gates swinging, outscoring Vanderbilt 48-34 in the first half. It marked the first SEC game that Vanderbilt had trailed at home all season long. SEC Network’s Ron Slay and Daymeon Fishback predicted at halftime that Mark Byington‘s team would make a strong run at the comeback in the second half, but that didn’t came to fruition until the final few minutes.

All five of Oklahoma‘s starters scored in double-figures. Guard Xzayvier Brown led the way with 20 points, followed by guard Nijel Pack (17 points), forward Tae Davis (14 points), forward Derrion Reid (11 points), and forward Mohamed Wague (10 points).

Vanderbilt‘s high-powered offense had a disappointing night from the floor, especially in the first 38 minutes. The Commodores made 47% (27-57) of their field goal attempts, shooting 46% from three-point range (11-24). Oklahoma made 9-21 three-point shots (43%).

The loss for Vanderbilt will hurt mightily, as Oklahoma is a Quad 3 opponent. The loss served as Vanderbilt‘s first against a Q3 opponent this season, as it was previously 2-0 (Western Kentucky and Ole Miss).