Oklahoma basketball: Sooners shock No. 3 Wichita State, 91-83
By Chip Rouse
Freshman point guard Trae Young was on fire early, scoring 21 first-half points, as Oklahoma basketball pulled off the upset of the day in college hoops with convincing 91-83 road win over No. 3-ranked Wichita State on Saturday.
It was the Sooners’ first true road game of the season and their second straight win over a ranked team, having defeated No. 25 USC a week ago in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Los Angeles. Young finished with 29 points, right on his nation-best scoring average. Another true freshman, Brady Manek, scored a career-high 21 points for OU, hitting eight of 16 shots, including five treys. Sixteen of Manek’s 21 points came in the first half, helping the Sooners open up a double-digit lead.
Young made six of his first nine shots in the first nine minutes of the first half. In addition to his 29 points, he added 10 assists, recording his fourth double-double of the season.
The Sooners fell behind 4-0 from the opening tip, but grabbed their first lead of the game, 7-6, on a three-point shot by Manek and never looked back from there. Oklahoma roared out to a 15-point lead at halftime, scoring 52 points in the opening 20 minutes, the Sooners’ third highest total in the first half through nine games this season.
Oklahoma, now 9-1 on the season, maintained a double-digit advantage throughout most of the second half. The Shockers pulled within six points in the closing minute, the closest they had been since midway through the first half, but OU went 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, squashing Wichita State’s comeback attempt.
Christian James and Kameron McGusty contributed 13 points each to the Sooner victory, and Jamuni McNeace was a beast on the backboards, collecting 10 rebounds and blocking four shots.
Senior forward Darral Willis Jr. led the Shockers in scoring with 20 points off the bench. Sophomore guard Landry Shamet added 17.
The win improved OU’s all-time record against Wichita State to 5-2, and 4-0 in games played in Wichita. It was the Sooners first win over a team ranked in the top three nationally in the last 15 attempts, dating back to 2003.
The loss drops Wichita State’s record to 8-2. The 91 points scored by Oklahoma are the most given up this season by the Shockers and only the third time in 10 games that an opponent has scored more than 70 points.
The Sooners are next in action twice next week, with both games at Lloyd Noble Center. OU will host Northwestern State on Tuesday, and are back in action on Friday against Northwestern out of the Big Ten.