The Sports Xchange
Dec 4, 2017
Oklahoma freshman Trae Young, the nation's leading scorer, poured in 28 points to lead the Sooners to a 97-85 win over the Texas San Antonio on Monday night at the Lloyd Noble Center in Noman, Okla.
Young, who had scored at least 30 points in three straight games, and was averaging 28.8 points per game. He scored 18 points in the first half to spark the Sooners to a 42-37 halftime lead.
Young, who also ranks third in the nation in assists (8.8 per game), dished out eight dimes and grabbed five rebounds as the Sooners (6-1) won their fourth straight.
It was a bittersweet homecoming for the Roadrunners' second-year head coach, Steve Henson, who was Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger's top assistant in Norman through 2016.
Freshman guard Jhivvan Jackson led the Roadrunners (5-5) with 31 points.
There were eight lead changes and the game was tied seven times. The Sooners came into the night with one of the most prolific offenses in the country, averaging 94 points per game, third best in the nation.
Once they took the lead at 19-17 on a layup by Jamuni McNeace, Oklahoma seemingly was in control. The Sooners opened up their largest lead of the half on a 3-pointer by Young, and they were on top 42-31 with less than two minutes to go before the break.
However, Jackson kept the Roadrunners in the game with a pair of free throws and a layup, and UTSA trailed by only five at intermission.
A 3-pointer by Nick Allen cut the UTSA deficit to 50-48 early in the second half. Young and Christian James scored eight straight to give the Sooners a 10-point lead. Two 3-pointers by Jackson would once again cut the lead to four, but that was the closest the Roadrunners would get.
The Sooners return to action on Friday against No. 25 Southern California as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Roadrunners will host Houston Baptist on Saturday.