Setting up defensively to stop Trae Young, the Baylor Bears employed a “triangle-and-two“ type defense sporadically throughout the duration of the game. Deciding to attack the defense, the Oklahoma Sooners’ star eclipsed the 40-point mark for the fourth time this season. Finishing with 44 points, the true freshman helped OU to a 98-96 victory over Baylor and a 15th consecutive win in front of a home crowd.
In a high scoring affair, Oklahoma found themselves trailing 96-95 with 00:54 remaining in regulation. Rotating Kristian Doolittle over in an attempt to shut down the play making ability of Manu Lecompte, the move paid off. Forcing the Bears into an undesired shot, Brady Manek gathered the rebound. Pushing the ball up the floor, Young found himself at the free throw line with the game up for grabs. Knocking down both attempts, the freshman secured a 97-96 lead for the Sooners.
However, a miscue defensively sent Baylor’s Jake Lindsey to the line. Coming up short on the front end of a 1-and-1, Rashard Odomes pulled down the defensive rebound as the crowd was sent into frenzy. Before the guard could hit the ground, he was fouled. Connecting on the first of two attempts, Lon Kruger refused to put any rebounders in the blocks.
The move almost proved costly as Odomes missed the second attempt. Reaching up for the ball, King McClure crossed midcourt without a defender near him. Elevating for the win, the shot missed the mark.
Getting help from the bigs, Khadeem Lattin added 15 points on the night. Taking some of the attention off the usual suspects, the lone senior played physically on the glass. Ripping down 12 rebounds, Lattin finished with a double-double.
Stepping in for the ill Christian James, Odomes proved his worth on the roster. Contributing 18 points of his own, four starters finished with at least 15 points. However, not a single bench player played a role on the scoreboard offensively. It’s a stat line to keep an eye on moving forward as Oklahoma takes on the Texas Longhorns next.