NORMAN, OKla. — The No. 7-ranked Kansas Jayhawks survived a 20-2 second-half run by Oklahoma and first-half wrist injury to Ochai Agbaji in a 67-64 victory over the Sooners on Tuesday at Lloyd Noble Center.
Christian Braun hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Agbaji (X-rays on his wrist were negative) to bust a 62-62 tie with 10.9 seconds left. The Jayhawks (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) had entered with three losses in their last four trips to Norman.
It wasn’t over after Braun’s 3.
Braun fouled Jordan Goldwire, who hit two free throws at 6.1 seconds to cut the gap to 65-64. Agbaji — after calling timeout after nobody could get open to retrieve an inbounds pass — inbounded to Braun, who was fouled with 4.0 seconds left. He went to the line and hit the first free throw and the second to give KU a 67-64 lead. OU’s Elijah Harkless missed a shot from half court.
Jalen Wilson scored 18 points and Agbaji 10 (none in the first half over 12 minutes) for KU, which won its third straight league game. The game marked the return of Remy Martin, who missed the past two games with a bone bruise on his left knee. He scored two points in 15 minutes for KU. Braun had 15 points.
Agbaji was available just 12 minutes the first half, one in which he didn’t score. When Agbaji left at 12:21 after apparently banging his left wrist on the scorer’s table, KU was up 13-9.
He returned to the court with his left wrist taped at 4:18 with KU down 28-24. KU managed to lead 34-32 at halftime thanks to nine points from Wilson, seven from both Dajuan Harris and Mitch Lightfoot. C.J. Noland had eight and Tanner Groves six the first half for OU.
KU coach Bill Self said in a halftime interview with ESPN that X-rays were negative on Agbaji’s hand.
Goldwire finished with 15 points and Groves eight points for the Sooners (12-6, 2-4), directed by Porter Moser, the former Loyola Chicago coach who was hired to take over for Lon Kruger, who retired last spring.
KU led by 12 points (44-32) with 17:20 left, but OU immediately used a 10-0 run to get back in the game (44-42) at 13:50. OU kept up the pace and grabbed a 47-46 lead at 12:37. The Sooners stretched the run to 17-2 and led 49-46 at 10:16.
The Sooners are 2-1 in home conference games and 0-3 on the road.
KU will meet Kansas State at 3 p.m. Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
