Oklahoma defeated Arkansas Pine-Bluff 66-58 on Friday in Norman.
Senior forward Jalen Hill led the Sooners (1-1) with a career-high 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting, while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking a shot in 36 minutes.
OU coach Porter Moser thought the 6-foot-6, 232-pound forward’s improvement came from his accountability and leadership in practice following the Sooners’ 52-51 loss to Sam Houston on Monday.
“He did what I would hope any young person would do, and that is take accountability,” Moser said of Hill. “There were zero excuses from Jalen Hill. Within the film session, within practice he just took accountability, and that’s why he’s going to be successful in life.”
Alongside Hill’s career-night, Moser thought the Sooners capitalized on plays during the final stretch. Unlike the season opener when OU’s defense allowed the Bearkats to knock down a game-winning 3-pointer, Oklahoma held Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-2) to zero field-goals in the final 2:27.
The Sooners also outrebounded the Golden Lions 33-32 and shot 22-of-46 from the field.
“We made some winning plays,” Moser said. “To open the season there's a little tightness, and then when we lose that first one, then comes even more tightness. As much as we let our coaching staff talk about letting it go… I really liked that our guys made some winning plays.”
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ win:
Hill has a day
Hill was a force in the paint against the Golden Lions after finishing with zero points and one block on 0-for-7 shooting Monday in the loss to Sam Houston.
The senior forward was self-critical following the abysmal performance, but the team’s leaders helped lift him up. He credited his effort for his career-high performance.
“I just played hard and the shots came, and I didn’t force anything,” Hill said.
“Obviously I was mad at myself, but my (teammates) just kept me up during practice. They kept telling me to shoot the ball and be me.”
Hill scored the first points of the contest and notched nine first half points to give Oklahoma a 30-26 lead at halftime.
Within the first 5:30 of the second half, Hill dropped another four points to add to OU’s then-eight point lead. Moser wanted to feed Hill after his previous tough outing.
“He took it so personally that he had 31 minutes, no points, one rebound,” Moser said of Hill’s play against Sam Houston. “That’s why we went to him right out the gate.”
Hill returned with a massive two-handed dunk with 8:36 remaining in the game to give the Sooners a 49-45 lead. Later, Hill capped the game with a layup, which solidified OU’s win with just under 30 seconds remaining.
Defense dominates
Moser said he wanted a better defensive effort from the Sooners entering Friday night’s contest and they stepped up against the Golden Lions.
Senior forward Tanner Groves headlined Oklahoma’s defensive play in the first half, notching a block and a steal during the first five minutes. OU collectively tallied four blocks, two steals and held the Golden Lions to 11-for-30 shooting in the first half.
After freshman guard Milos Uzan drained a 3-pointer from the wing, Groves added another block to his total. Groves finished the game with seven points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals on 3-for-3 shooting.
Moser thought Groves made several key plays that allowed the Sooners to take their first win. Moser would like to get him more shots, however, after he attempted just three shots when he averaged just above eight field goal attempts last season.
“I thought he played so hard and made a ton of winning plays,” Moser said. “Tonight you just saw Tanner's energy and passion, but we gotta get him more shots. … I thought Tanner played passionate, hard and tough. That’s what you want guys to do. He wasn't worried that he only had three shots.”
Alongside Groves’ dominance in the paint, Oklahoma forced the Golden Lions to commit 10 turnovers.
Backcourt finds life
Uzan provided a boost to the Sooners’ backcourt, which struggled against Arkansas Pine-Bluff’s defense in the first half.
The former four-star recruit scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting in the first half. Uzan finished the game with 11 points, two rebounds and two assists on 4-for-5 shooting.
“I'm not really surprised with how well he’s playing,” senior guard Grant Sherfield said of Uzan’s performance. “We compete against each other every day in practice, so I know how good he's going to be, and I know how good he is now. As long as he just keeps doing what he's doing he’s just gonna be a great player for sure.”
Sherfield started the night 0-for-2 from the field as he was double-teamed in the first half. The Nevada transfer got going in the second half, scoring 16 points on 4-for-11 shooting. He credited his trust in Moser and his teammates for his rejuvenated performance in the second period.
His revitalized scoring was pivotal in the game after he hit back-to-back 3-pointers with the second coming with 15:28 remaining in the second half, extending Oklahoma’s lead to a game-high seven points.
“I mean, I felt like I just kept trusting in my coach and my teammates,” Sherfield said. “My teammates found me and I remember Tanner got me on the cut for an easy layup. I feel like that kind of got me going, and I just kept going after that and made a couple shots.”
Next, OU will face North Carolina-Wilmington at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 in Norman. Moser is hoping the win over UAPB will build momentum for the Sooners.
“We know what's ahead of us,” Moser said. “We'll get better, but we needed that win. It's much nicer and easier in practice to get better after a win.”
