NORMAN, Okla. - Jalen Wilson scored 16 points, Christian Braun hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left and No. 7 Kansas defeated Oklahoma 67-64 on Tuesday night.
Braun’s corner 3 gave the Jayhawks a 65-62 lead. They fouled Jordan Goldwire with 6.1 seconds remaining to prevent him from shooting a potential tying 3, and he made both free throws to make it 65-64.
Braun then drained two at the other end with four seconds to go. Oklahoma, out of timeouts, missed a desperation heave that could have forced overtime.
Ochai Agbaji, the Big 12 scoring leader, had all 10 of his points in the final six minutes. Braun finished with 15 for the Jayhawks (15-2, 4-1 Big 12), who won their third straight.
Goldwire scored 15 points for Oklahoma (12-6, 2-4), which lost its third in a row. The Sooners have three wins over ranked teams this season and nearly pulled off another one.
Agbaji, who was averaging 20.6 points per game, headed back to the locker room midway through the first half after hurting his left wrist. Oklahoma took advantage and went on an 11-0 run to grab a 28-24 lead.
Agbaji returned to the game with his wrist taped, and Kansas recovered to take a 34-32 halftime lead.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Braun and Wilson put the Jayhawks up 42-32 and caused the Sooners to call a timeout. Oklahoma missed its first four shots after the break, and the Jayhawks went on a 10-0 spurt before the Sooners scored nearly four minutes into the second half.
Oklahoma rallied, and Umoja Gibson’s nasty step-back into a 3-pointer gave the Sooners a 47-46 lead.
Agbaji scored his first points on a layup that tied it at 52 with about 5:30 to play, and he later made a 3 that evened the game at 58.
Agbaji’s layup with just under a minute left put the Jayhawks up by two, but Goldwire scored in close to tie it 62-all and set up the final sequence.
THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas: Wilson, averaging 7.8 points per game coming in, stepped forward when Agbaji struggled to score most of the way. Agbaji finished strong and lifted his team when the Sooners had momentum and looked as though they might win it.
Oklahoma: The Sooners continue to battle and give themselves a chance against top teams, but they had no answer for Agbaji down the stretch. Oklahoma played gritty defense and made Kansas work for its points, but the Jayhawks’ superior talent won out in the end.
UP NEXT
Kansas: Visits rival Kansas State on Saturday.
Oklahoma: Hosts No. 5 Baylor on Saturday.