Field Level Media
Feb 11, 2023
Jalen Wilson scored 18 points to help No. 9 Kansas to a 78-55 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday in Norman, Okla.
Wilson added five rebounds, five assists and five steals in the Jayhawks' largest margin of victory over the Sooners in nearly five years, since a 104-74 home win on Feb. 19, 2018.
The Jayhawks have won four of their last five while the Sooners have lost four consecutive games and seven consecutive conference games.
Kansas got off to a slow start, hitting just two of its first 14 shots, but the Sooners, after scoring the game's first seven points, couldn't take advantage. Then when the Jayhawks came alive offensively, Oklahoma struggled to keep up as Kansas continued to turn up the pressure defensively.
The Jayhawks hit 13 of their last 16 shots of the first half, including nine in a row at one point, to take a 13-point lead, 35-22, into the break -- helped by a 20-4 run over the last 7:10 before halftime.
The Sooners made another push in the second half, cutting Kansas' lead to five with a 10-2 spurt to start the period.
Once again, though, the Jayhawks asserted their dominance, with Dajuan Harris' 3-pointer kicking off a 32-11 run to put the game away.
Kansas (20-5, 8-4 Big 12) forced Oklahoma into a season-high 24 turnovers.
The Sooners hadn't turned the ball over more than 16 times in a conference game this season. The Jayhawks hadn't forced more than 23 turnovers in any game this season or more than 15 in a Big 12 game.
Kansas outscored Oklahoma 27-12 off turnovers and 50-28 in the paint.
The Jayhawks shot 55 percent from the field, their best mark in conference play. The Sooners shot only 35.7 percent from the floor.
Jalen Hill led Oklahoma with 14 points while Grant Sherfield added 10 on just 4-of-14 shooting. The Sooners had a season-low five assists.
Harris finished with 16 points for Kansas, while Kevin McCullar scored 13 to help the Jayhawks sweep the season series.
The Sooners (12-13, 2-10) didn't get any points from their bench until the final 3:02 and finished with just six.
--Field Level Media