CINCINNATI — Javian McCollum scored 16 points and Otega Oweh added 14 to help No. 15 Oklahoma beat Cincinnati 69-65 on Saturday.
John Hugely IV had 11 points for the Sooners (15-3, 3-2 Big 12) who earned their first conference road win.
Simas Lukosius scored 17 points and John Newman III had 14 for the Bearcats (13-5, 2-3).
Oweh’s dunk gave Oklahoma a 65-58 lead with about 2 minutes left before the Bearcats’ scored the next four points to close to 65-62 on Josh Reed’s free throws with 28.7 seconds left. Oweh then missed the front end of a one-and-one giving Cincinnati the ball with 14.7 remaining.
The Sooners chose to foul Lukosius with 6 seconds left and he made one of two from the line. Rivaldo Soraes was then fouled and hit both free throws to seal the win.
Both teams had a poor shooting start, combining to go 9 for 35 (25%) in the first 12 minutes.
PHOTOS: McCollum scores 17, No. 15 Oklahoma holds off Cincinnati 69-65
There were nine lead changes and four ties before the Sooners began to take control in the second half.
McCollum’s layup gave Oklahoma its largest lead, 55-46.
The Bearcats lead the all-time series 4-3. They had won the previous four meetings, most recently in 2011.
BIG PICTURE
Oklahoma: The Sooners have relied heavily on 3-point shooting this season, shooting 30.4% or lower in each of their three losses. Oklahoma is 11-1 when making more 3-pointers than their opponents. The Sooners shot 31% on Saturday, making two fewer attempts than Cincinnati.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats faced their fifth straight ranked opponent, the longest streak since the 1993-94 season. Cincinnati, which upset No. 19 TCU on Tuesday, hasn’t defeated consecutive ranked opponents since 2012.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma: Hosts Texas on Tuesday.
Cincinnati: Plays at No. 3 Kansas on Monday.
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