Dec. 10—TULSA — Last year, Oklahoma defeated Arkansas with hot outside shooting.

The Sooners shot nearly 55 percent, including 62 percent from the 3-point line, to beat the Razorbacks by 22 points. Arkansas, by contrast, shot just 35 percent.

It looked like the Sooners were set to enjoy that same fortune again on Saturday, the second edition of the teams’ neutral-site matchup. The Sooners shot 18-of-29 (62 percent) from the field in the first half, and it helped them take a 30-23 lead with 7:23 before halftime.

But the Razorbacks didn’t falter this time around. They ended the first half on a 20-10 run to take a three-point lead into halftime.

The Razorbacks kept that momentum going in the second half and the Sooners never recovered, falling 88-78 at Tulsa’s BOK Center.

Here’s three takeaways from the Sooners’ loss to Arkansas: 1. Razorbacks’ defense turns up the heat in the second half To slow down the Sooners’ offense, Arkansas opted to increase their pressure in the second half.

On made baskets, the Razorbacks tried to deny the Sooners from inbounding the ball. In the half court, Arkansas threw some double teams at OU’s guards in the pick and roll.

The pressure not only led to four OU turnovers in the first six minutes after halftime, it helped Arkansas open up the second half on a 14-6 run. The Sooners finished the game with 15 turnovers, compared to nine for Arkansas, and the Razorbacks finished with a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

“That’s a big part of the story, almost the huge part,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “If you look at the timeline, it was their defensive pressure: turnover, basket. Turnover, basket. Turnover, basket... But they capitalized and that’s that’s what they do. We talked about it, taking care of the ball, because they turn them into baskets with their extreme athletic ability.

“They just turned up the pressure and they just really got us extended. But it was the turnovers that led to baskets that got them the lead and we didn’t respond to that.”

While Arkansas’ defense increased the pressure, the offense got going, too. The Razorbacks shot 62 percent in the second half and held a huge advantage in the paint, outscoring the Sooners 55-18 at the rim.

Ricky Council and Nick Smith Jr. led the way for the Razorbacks, scoring 26 and 21, respectively.

2. Grant Sherfield, Milos Uzan lead the offense Sherfield had already established himself as the Sooners’ offensive engine prior to Saturday’s game, and he again showed why against the Razorbacks.

The veteran guard hit several tough shots in the first half, scoring 11 points. But he picked up his second foul with 4:52 before halftime, forcing him to the bench with the Sooners holding onto a 32-27 lead.

The Razorbacks outscored the Sooners by eight points in those minutes with Sherfield off the floor.

The Razorbacks particularly focused on Sherfield in the second half, but he still hit some tough shots late in the game to try to keep the Sooners in it. He finished with a team-high 23 points and three assists.

He was joined by Uzan in leading the OU offense. The freshman guard made his second start against the Razorbacks and finished with 15 points and a team-high five assists.

Despite the loss, it appears Moser and the Sooners have found their starting backcourt for the rest of the season.

“I thought Grant was a guy that was competing in that atmosphere,” Moser said. “I thought Los did. We have to have more guys that come with it... We had some guys who didn’t play as well as they’d been playing.

The Sooners finished the game shooting 57 percent from the floor and 47 percent from the 3-point line.

3. Joe Bamisile plays well in limited minutes The transfer guard from George Washington is known for his scoring, but he flashed some other abilities against the Razorbacks.

In addition to his eight points, his second most of the season, Bamisile tied for the team lead with five rebounds and also had a nice block off the backboard in the first half. He finished the game with 19 minutes, the most he’s played this season.

Bamisile’s minutes have been inconsistent this season, but finding production from him would give the Sooners a huge boost. Moser now hopes Bamisile can build on his performance.

“Joe came in and gave us a nice lift,” Moser said. “Had some rebounds, a block, had eight points. So that was encouraging to see... Joe has that athleticism and length to compete against other athletes like we’re gonna see in our league. You could see his athleticism come out when the other team had that many athletes.

“I thought that was a bright spot to come out of it, to move forward with Joe [and hope] he can build from it.”

Up next: The Sooners (7-3) will look to bounce back at 2 p.m. next Saturday against Central Arkansas at Lloyd Noble Center