Xzayvier Brown scored 19 points to lead Oklahoma to a 95-69 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday in Norman, Oklahoma.
Nijel Pack added 15 points for Oklahoma (2-1) by hitting 5 of 7 on 3-point attempts. Dayton Forsythe also scored 15 while Tae Davis added 13 and Darrion Reid 12. Davis also had 15 rebounds as the Sooners outrebounded UAPB 44-31 to bounce back from their first loss of the season on Saturday at Gonzaga.
The Golden Lions (0-4) also had five players score in double figures, led by Milan Charles’ 15 points. Alex Mirhosseini and Jaquan Scott added 14 each and Trevon Payton and Quion Williams scored 11 each.
Oklahoma (2-1) shot 56.7% from the floor in the second half to pull away from a pesky Golden Lions squad.
Four minutes into the game, the Sooners owned an 11-4 lead as they hit four of their first six shots.
The Golden Lions didn’t go away quietly, though, scoring nine consecutive points to take the lead on Mirhosseini’s layup.
Oklahoma responded a few minutes later with a 10-0 run that included five points from Davis. The Sooners stretched their lead as big as 13 before halftime and led 42-31 at the break.
Oklahoma extended its lead to 16 four minutes into the second half on Kuol Atak’s layup.
UAPB again responded by cutting the deficit in half with a 12-4 run. The Golden Lions forced four turnovers during the stretch that was capped by Mirhosseini’s 3-pointer that made it 56-48 with 11:38 to go.
That’s when Oklahoma finally started pulling away for good, steadily stretching its lead the rest of the way.
Brown finished 7 of 13 from the floor, including 7 of 9 from inside the arc.
Oklahoma’s bench outscored UAPB’s 30-4 and outscored the Golden Lions 19-8 off turnovers.
The game was played at Oklahoma’s McCasland Field House, the team’s home from the late 1920s until 1975.
The Sooners regularly have played one game in their old on-campus arena in recent seasons.
–Field Level Media
