Sooners Mount Furious Comeback, Fall at Buzzer vs. No. 15 Kentucky

Thursday, March 13

Bridgestone Arena • Nashville, Tenn.

8:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

20-13,6-12SEC

Kentucky

22-10,10-8SEC

Oklahoma

Kentucky

Photo by: Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Mount Furious Comeback, Fall at Buzzer vs. No. 15 Kentucky

March 14, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats Photo Gallery

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman Jeremiah Fears scored on a driving layup with 5.6 seconds left to give Oklahoma a one-point lead, but Kentucky scored the game-winning basket with 0.5 second remaining as the No. 15 Wildcats beat the Sooners 85-84 Thursday night in the SEC Tournament second round at Bridgestone Arena.

Fears' layup completed a 14-3 run that erased an 80-70 deficit with 1:26 left in the game. The Sooners (20-13) trailed 83-77 with 0:41 left, but got a 3-pointer by Fears and two Fears steals that led to a pair of baskets — a fast break dunk by Jalon Moore and a layup by Fears — to go ahead in the final seconds.

Fears finished with a game-high 28 points, four rebounds and game highs of five assists and three steals. Moore and Kobe Elvis each scored 12 points for OU. Moore added seven rebounds and Elvis had four assists.

The Sooners trailed the Wildcats (22-10), 66-65, with 6:50 to play, but UK went on an 11-0 run over the next 1:33 to extend its lead to 12 points. OU pulled within 78-70 on a 3-pointer by Moore before two Kentucky free throws made it a 10-point game again.

In the first half, Oklahoma battled back from deficits of nine points (trailed 12-3, cut to 12-9), eight points (trailed 19-11, cut to 19-17), seven points (trailed 25-18, took a 28-25 lead) and five points (trailed 33-28, took a 34-33 lead). The Sooners trailed 40-38 at halftime.

OU showed its resilience again early in the second half. The Sooners fell behind 59-52 at the 11:21 mark but scored five straight points, then trailed 62-57 two minutes later before pulling within 66-65.

POSTGAME NOTES

• No. 14 seed Oklahoma (20-13 overall) trailed 66-65 with 6:30 to go before No. 6 seed Kentucky (22-10) used an 11-0 run to take a 12-point lead with 4:31 left. The Sooners responded with a 19-6 run and took an 84-83 advantage with five seconds remaining on a Jeremiah Fears driving lay-in before the Wildcats hit the game-winning shot with half a second to go.

• OU trailed 83-77 but in the span of less than 30 seconds hit a 3-pointer, got two steals and a pair of two-point baskets to take the lead in the final seconds.

• The loss snapped OU's three-game winning streak. OU has won four of its last seven games and the three losses during the stretch came by a total of five points.

• One night after scoring 29 points in a win over No. 11 seed Georgia, freshman point guard Jeremiah Fears scored 28 tonight, including 10 in the last 1:19. It was Fears' 11th game of at least 20 points this season and fifth in the last eight outings.

• Fears, who also tallied four rebounds and game highs of five assists and three steals, drew seven fouls tonight and has drawn 35 over the last four games.

• Over the last eight games, Fears is averaging 22.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per outing.

• Senior forward Jalon Moore recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and tied a season high with two assists. He was 2 of 3 from 3-point range tonight and went 6 for 8 from long distance over OU's two games in Nashville.

• Graduate forward/center Mohamed Wague made his third straight start in place of injured Sam Godwin and finished with nine points and six rebounds in 17 minutes. He averaged 10.5 points, 7.5 boards and 2.0 assists the last two nights

• Graduate guard Kobe Elvis came off the bench to score 12 points, his most since also registering 12 in a Jan. 18 win over South Carolina.

• OU committed just eight turnovers, including only three in the second half.