COLLEGE STATION, Texas — After leading 67-63 midway through the second half, the Oklahoma men's basketball team was outscored 20-9 the rest of the way in an 83-76 loss at Texas A&M on Saturday.
OU (11-5, 1-2 SEC) entered the game averaging a league-low 9.5 turnovers per contest but committed a season-high 17 against the Aggies (12-3, 3-0) and was outscored 18-8 off turnovers.
Texas A&M, which won its sixth straight game and 11th of its last 12, also scored eight more points at the free throw line. The Aggies were 21 for 25 (84%) at the stripe while OU was 13 for 16 (81%).
The Sooners lost their second consecutive outing despite getting a game-high 24 points from
Nijel Pack, his most in 12 contests. The guard, who surpassed 2,000 career points (now has 2,007), matched his season high with six 3-pointers on 13 attempts and added a season-high-tying six rebounds as well as a game-high-tying five assists.
OU also squandered double-doubles from forwards
Derrion Reid (the first of his career) and
Tae Davis. Reid made a career-high four 3-pointers on six tries and finished with 19 points and career-high 11 rebounds, three more than his previous high. Davis was 5 for 10 from the field and logged 12 points and 10 boards.
Junior guard
Xzayvier Brown, who had averaged 19.7 points on 55% field goal shooting over the previous six contests, was 3 for 9 from the floor on the day and was limited to seven points.
Oklahoma scored the game's first five points but faced a 33-23 deficit with just under eight minutes left in the first half. The Sooners responded with a 20-10 run and tied the score at 43 apiece with 1:08 to go, but a late 3-pointer gave A&M a 48-45 halftime advantage.
OU came out scorching hot in the second half, as Pack hit a 3 and Reid two more to regain the advantage, 54-53.
Brown's acrobatic layup and free throw gave the Sooners a 67-63 cushion with 10:23 remaining, but OU went 4 for 14 (29%) from the field the rest of contest. It also missed its last 10 3-point tries after starting 11 for 21.
The Sooners controlled the boards 43-32 and outscored the Aggies 18-7 in second-chance points. Both teams shot 42% from the field.
After playing two road games this week, OU returns home to host defending national champion Florida on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center. The game will be televised by ESPN2.