Moore, Fears help No. 12 Oklahoma put away Prairie View 89-67 to remain unbeaten

Moore, Fears help No. 12 Oklahoma put away Prairie View 89-67 to remain unbeaten | iNFOnews.ca
Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, right, looks to sshoot over Prairie View A&M guard Zaakir Sawyer, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jalon Moore scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, freshman star Jeremiah Fears added 19 and No. 12 Oklahoma remained one of the four unbeaten teams in Division I men’s basketball by putting away a pesky Prairie View squad, 89-67 on Sunday.

Prairie View cut the Oklahoma lead to single digits on several occasions in the second half, but could get no closer than eight before the Sooners (13-0) eventually pushed the lead above 20 points in the closing minutes.

Oklahoma took a 43-32 halftime lead despite hitting only one field goal in the final 10 minutes. The Sooners compensated for that drought by hitting 18 of 19 free throws in the first 20 minutes.

Duke Miles was 7 for 7 at the foul line and hit both field goal attempts, both 3-pointers, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first half.

Fears, twice the SEC freshman of the week this season, shot 7 of 11 to eclipse his average of 18 points per game.

Moore, Fears help No. 12 Oklahoma put away Prairie View 89-67 to remain unbeaten | iNFOnews.ca
Oklahoma forward Luke Northweather, right, looks for an opening around Prairie View A&M guard Elijah Terry, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

The loss was the 12th straight for Prairie View (1-12), with its only win this season coming against a non-NCAA team. Tanahj Pettaway scored 22 points and Marcel Bryant had 14.

Takeaways

Oklahoma couldn’t put the Panthers away despite taking double-digits leads on several occasions in the game. Prairie View will finally return home for the first time in two months after playing 12 straight road games.

Key Moment

Prairie View cut the Sooners’ lead to nine for the final time with 8 minutes to play, before Moore sparked a 22-9 finish to clinch the victory.

Moore, Fears help No. 12 Oklahoma put away Prairie View 89-67 to remain unbeaten | iNFOnews.ca
Prairie View A&M guard Tanahj Pettway, right, shoots over Oklahoma forward Sam Godwin (10) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

Key Stat

Oklahoma shot 35 free throws, hitting 32. Prairie View was just 5 for 7.

Up next

The Sooners open the new year and SEC play at Alabama on Saturday afternoon. Prairie View hosts Grambling in its SWAC opener Saturday afternoon.

Moore, Fears help No. 12 Oklahoma put away Prairie View 89-67 to remain unbeaten | iNFOnews.ca
Prairie View A&M guard Tanahj Pettway, right, goes up to shoot over Oklahoma forward Jalon Moore, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and College Basketball News: Rankings, Scores, Stats & More

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

Tony Sellars

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles