No. 8 Oklahoma Dumps Jackson State, 68-46

Freshman Drew Lavender scored 23 points and had five assists to lead No. 8 Oklahoma to a methodical 68-46 win over Jackson State on Saturday.

The 5-foot-7 point guard has led the Sooners (8-0) in scoring for three straight games, finally asserting control of Oklahoma's often-spotty offense. Lavender scored 14 points in the second half, helping the Sooners shake off the plucky Tigers down the stretch.

Jason Detrick was the only other Sooner to score in double figures with 12 points.

Lavender, overshadowed by NBA rookie sensation LeBron James during a standout prep career in Columbus, Ohio, has emerged as the Sooners' star during nonconference play.

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He's second on the team in scoring at nearly 12 points a game and assists (4.6). But it's his toughness that has been most impressive as the 155-pounder has gamely endured defenses geared to bounce him around.

Ishmael Joyce led Jackson State with 13 points. Aaron Gilliom added 11.

The Sooners have to wait almost a month before Big 12 play starts, but they've definitely got an early jump on the Southwestern Athletic Conference crown.

Jackson State (2-5) was the third team that Oklahoma has played this season from the league of 10 historically black colleges stretching from Houston to Montgomery, Ala. The Sooners have won those games by an average of 39 points, including a 94-24 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 2.

Oklahoma has a week off for the holidays, then plays Texas-Pan American on Dec. 29.

The Sooners jumped out to a 27-6 lead midway through the first half, forcing Jackson State into 2-of-11 shooting and causing seven turnovers. Oklahoma contested nearly every shot early on, with center Jabarhi Brown punctuating the smothering defensive effort by hustling down court to swat away what appeared to be an uncontested layup.

But the Tigers (2-4) showed a little bit of fight, going on a 19-5 run to close out the half mostly on the strength of three 3-pointers by Gilliom.

Gilliom even hit a 3 while falling out of bounds right in front of the Sooners' bench in the final seconds before halftime, bringing Jackson State within 38-30.

That was about as good as it got for the Tigers.

Jackson State shot 29 percent for the game and committed 18 turnovers. The Tigers were also outrebounded 46-30.

The Sooners are off to their best start since 1999-2000, when they went 9-0. Oklahoma has now won 44 of its last 45 home games.