Hoops: Duke Miles scores 29, leads Sooners over Central Arkansas
NORMAN — The Sooners were an overwhelming favorite to walk away Sunday with a win over Central Arkansas.
Duke Miles made sure that would be the case.
The veteran guard was firing early and often on offense, sinking a 3-pointer on the game’s first possession. From the 6:06 mark to the 3:36 mark of the first half, Miles scored 12 consecutive points that included back-to-back 3-pointers.
Miles capped off that flurry with a heat check from well behind the 3-point line.
Miles hadn’t sxored more than 19 points in a game this season. That 3-pointer gave him 20 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting and helped give the Sooners a seven-point halftime lead.
It’s a big reason why the 14th-ranked Sooners came away with an 89-66 win over Central Arkansas at the Lloyd Noble Center.
His early shooting was critical, as the rest of the Sooners combined for 26 points on 10-of-26 shooting. He kept that up in the second half, scoring nine points on 4-of-7 shooting after halftime.
He finished the game with a season-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 4-of-8 from 3, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals. It’s the second-most points he’s scored in a game, nearly eclipsing his career-high 32 points against Hofstra at High Point last season.
Here’s a look at a few other notes and takeaways from the game:
NOTES
— The Sooners came into the game averaging 13.9 fast break points per game, which ranked 68th nationally and sixth in the SEC. They surpassed that by the middle of the first half, finishing the game with 33 fast break points.
A big reason for the Sooners’ success in transition has been their ability to force turnovers. They entered the game ranked 52nd nationally and fourth in the SEC in forcing turnovers (15 per game). They forced 12 against Central Arkansas, which led to 20 points.
— Central Arkansas hung around in the first half thanks to four 3-pointers from Ben Fox, as the Bears trailed just 46-39 at half. The Sooners, however, continued to extend that lead in the second half, and the Bears’ shooting went extremely cold in the second half (10 of 32 from the floor).
— Jeremiah Fears entered the game having scored at least 10 points in every game this season. That appeared to be in danger when he entered halftime with only four points.
However, as he has all season, he came alive in the second half. He scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting after halftime. Fears, who leads the Sooners in scoring with nearly 18 points per game, finished with 19 points and a team-high five assists.
He also delivered two of the game’s biggest highlights, including an alley oop to Jalon Moore early in the game and then a monstrous dunk late in the second half.
— It appeared to be a slow game for Moore, who had just eight points with 3:57 left in the game. But he added nine late points to give him 17 for the game, adding two steals and a block.
— Dayton Forsythe again saw early action, logging nine first-half minutes and hitting a 3-pointer.
However, he didn’t see the floor again until very late in the second half.
— Jadon Jones again missed the game and has yet to play this season with a back injury. His return date remains up in the air.
— The Sooners improve to 12-0 on the season and remain one of only four unbeaten teams in the country. They close out non-conference action next Sunday against Prairie View at 1 p.m. at home (ESPN+).
Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!
Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!
Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!
