Conference play has not been kind to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Taz Sherman scored 20 second-half points on Saturday, but the senior guard’s play wasn’t enough for West Virginia to come out on top as the No. 9 Mountaineers fell to Oklahoma, losing 74-71.
The loss is West Virginia's second in three matchups against Big 12 opponents this season.
West Virginia (8-3) struggled mightily in the first half to knock down shots, entering halftime having shot 7-of-30 from the field.
The Sooners, led by 18 points off the bench, entered the break holding the 38-20 lead.
The second half, on the other hand, told a much different story.
The Mountaineers opened the second half on a 12-2 run to trim the Sooners’ lead to eight, which was soon followed up by another run, ultimately allowing West Virginia to tie the score.
West Virginia’s offense relied heavily on long-range shooting, knocking down nine 3-pointers in the second half that allowed the Mountaineers to mount a comeback effort. Led by Sherman, WVU scored 42 total points from beyond the 3-point line.
WVU had trimmed the deficit to two with five minutes remaining, but it seemed as if the Sooners had a counter for every West Virginia basket.
While the Mountaineers trimmed the Sooners’ lead to two in the final minute, Oklahoma ultimately held on for the win.
Jalen Bridges, who filled the void in the starting lineup created by the departure of Oscar Tshiebwe, scored 18 points off of 7-of-9 shooting from the field. He finished second in team scoring behind Sherman, who ended the day with 20.
Two other Mountaineers finished in double figures: Miles McBride, with 15, and Emmitt Matthews Jr., with 11.
The Mountaineers will stay in the state, traveling to take on Oklahoma State in the team’s next matchup. Tipping off at 9 p.m. on Monday, the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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