NORMAN –
Jalen Hill led Oklahoma men's basketball with a career-high 22 points and the Sooners edged Arkansas – Pine Bluff 66-58 at Lloyd Noble Center Friday night.
"Made some winning plays. Even though we had turnovers, we executed down the stretch and got some stops," said Oklahoma head men's basketball coach
Porter Moser. "We played really hard."
OU (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) earned its first victory of the season and moved to 3-0 all-time against the Golden Lions.
"I love how
Jalen Hill responded," said Moser. "He took it so personal that he had 31 minutes and no points and one rebound (in the last game). Right out of the gate you could just see it. That is why we went to him right out of the gate. He got the first basket of the game. 22 (points) and seven (rebounds) and unbelievable defense. It was good to see that."
Hill finished 8 of 10 from the field and finished 6-for-7 from the free throw line. His 22 points eclipsed his previous single game high of 18 points set against Florida during the 2021-22 season. The Las Vegas product added seven rebounds and tallied a key block late in the first half.
Grant Sherfield overcame a scoreless first 20 minutes to finish with 16 points. Sherfield drained back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half and scored 12 of his 16 points in a five-minute stretch.
Milos Uzan recorded his first career game with double-digit points, finishing with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting. Uzan added a pair of assists and rebounds.
Tanner Groves controlled the boards and wrangled a game-high 11 rebounds. He added seven points and recorded four assists.
The Sooners led for 31-plus minutes in a game that witnessed 12 lead changes.
Oklahoma entered the break with a 30-26 advantage and held the Golden Lions scoreless from deep.
The Sooners realized their largest lead of the contest after Sherfield's scoring tear and a Uzan triple with 5:52 left. Uzan's lone 3-pointer of the contest gave OU a 56-48 advantage.
UAPB fought back and narrowed the OU lead to two with under three minutes remaining.
Hill powered through the paint and put the finishing touches on his stellar night, breaking the Golden Lion momentum and pushing OU's lead back to four.
Uzan reached the charity stripe for the first time all game and buried two free throws to further the Sooner advantage.
OU capped the night at the free throw line and recorded an eight-point victory over the Lions.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma hosts UNC Wilmington on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+.