Steven Pledger refused to let his team go down without a fight.
Pledger scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half as Oklahoma defeated Houston 79-74 at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday night. The Sooners guard was 10 of 13 from the field as he helped OU rally from a nine-point deficit with 15:41 remaining.
It was a valuable learning experience for the Sooners who held a 40-37 halftime lead but quickly squandered that advantage in the first few minutes of the second half. Seven points from Pledger sparked an OU run which tied the game at 55 with 11:11 remaining.
Then, with the game in doubt, OU outscored Houston 14-7 in the final 5:07 to secure the win.
Player of the Game: Pledger. The junior was 4 of 5 from the 3-point line and 7 of 7 from the foul line as he had 31 points on just 13 field goal attempts. It was the second straight game of deadly efficiency from Pledger, who has scored 53 points on 19 of 25 shooting from the field in OU’s last two games.
Unsung Hero: Sam Grooms. The junior college transfer finished the game with eight assists and zero turnovers. He added 10 points in his 38 minutes of action.
Key Stat: Nine. The Sooners had just nine points off the bench, all from Tyler Neal. The impact of Calvin Newell’s decision to transfer was felt on Saturday despite Neal’s increased aggressiveness.
Key Stat, Part II: 12. The Sooners made 12 more free throws than Houston attempted. OU was 19 of 24 from the foul line while U of H finished 5 of 7.
Quotable: ”Pledge was just terrific all night long. Not only did he score, he rebounded.” --OU coach Lon Kruger on Pledger’s game.
”It was a great night for him. He got great shots in the flow of our offense and found his sweet spots. He made shots tonight and did a lot of things out of the ordinary, which I haven’t seen for a while. ” -- Grooms on Pledger.
”It was very good for us. Adversity tells a lot about teams. At one point in time, I think we were down nine and coach asked us basically, ‘How are you going to respond?’ I think it might have been the best thing for us, it’s not good to win by 20 every night.” -- Grooms on the Sooners having to rally to win.
“You just have to go out there, put things aside and keep playing basketball, don’t let it get to you.” -- Andrew Fitzgerald on hitting two key baskets down the stretch after struggling from the field.