Jan. 3—In three distinct acts, coach Lon Kruger’s Sooner men appeared to prove, at the very least, how capable they might be.

It added up to a 75-71 victory over ninth-ranked West Virginia and how Oklahoma got there was great theatre, that it should end a tragedy or merely a great drama the big mystery.

The Sooners played perhaps their finest half of the season the first 20 minutes, even as they received next to nothing from senior stalwarts Brady Manek and Austin Reaves, building an 18-point edge by intermission nonetheless thanks to terrific defense — 9 steals, 23.3 percent shooting from the Mountaineers — and the hot hand of Umoja Gibson, who came off the bench to net 14 points in 13 pre-intermission minutes.

That was the first act.

OU led 38-20.

The second act, the next 10 minutes, the Sooners were outscored 29-11, making for a 49-49 deadlock when Taz Sherman knocked down one of his four 3-pointers.

Reaves and Manek continued to struggle, and everybody else, too.

When Gibson responded to Sherman with a 3 of his own, it was only OU’s fourth field goal of the second half.

The final act was the rest.

Though the Mountaineers never quit coming, tying the game back up 52-52 with 9:06 remaining, 55-55 with 7:35 remaining and 60-60 with 5:05 remaining, only after one of those deadlocks did they get the ball back with a chance to take a two- or three-point lead.

That chance came following Victor Iwuakor’s turnover with 7:06 remaining. But West Virginia couldn’t convert never again enjoyed the same opportunity.

Ultimately, it was the Sooners who weathered the storm, thanks to some big plays down the stretch by the until-then absent duo of Reaves and Manek, as well as the constant silky shooting of Gibson.

“He really was great,” Kruger said of Gibson, who finished with 29 points on 10 of 14 shooting and glittering 8 of 11 3-point shooting. “He made big shots [and] we needed every one of them.”

Gibson scored 32 points as a North Texas freshman against Angelo State on Nov. 6, 2018 and broke the 20-point barrier 11 other times the rest of that season as a member of the Mean Green. Yet, prior to Saturday, he’d reached double figures just twice in seven Sooner appearances.

“Just keep fighting. Just keep fighting,” is what Gibson said he was thinking about on the court. “It’s a game of runs, but at the end of the day, we knew we just had to keep fighting.”

After the Mountaineers tied the game in the second half, Gibson hit 3s with 9:48, 7:51 and 6:26 remaining, as well as 2 with 5:43 remaining, each basket huge.

Manek’s and Reaves’ finest moment came on the same trip down the floor.

OU up 62-60, Reaves missed a 3, only for Manek wrestle away the rebound and find Elijah Harkless open from distance, who missed; only for Manek to grab yet another offensive board and dish to an open Reaves beyond the arc.

The Sooner point guard knocked it down, OU led by five points and not again would West Virginia possess the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.

“We knew we had to play tougher than them,” Manek said. “They like to bully people and we just needed to come in and hit them first.”

Or first and last.

Jalen Bridges and Taz Sherman each finished with 19 points for West Virginia. The two combined to make 9 of 12 from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Sooners moved to 6-2 and 2-1 against Big 12 competition. The Mountaineers fell to 8-3 and 1-2.

“We got tentative,” Kruger said of OU’s second-half struggles.

Until the Sooners wrote themselves a better ending.