Northwestern Wildcats vs Oklahoma Sooners Box Score on Dec 22, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 22, 2017

NORMAN, Okla. -- Trae Young doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Young, Oklahoma's freshman point guard, sizzled once again, scoring 31 points and producing 12 assists in the No. 17 Sooners' 104-78 win over Northwestern on Friday night at Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners blew the game open early, scoring 68 points in the first half.

Young followed his NCAA record-tying assist performance from Tuesday with 25 points and 10 assists by halftime, including a long 3-pointer in the final seconds before half.

Young, who leads the nation in scoring and assists, had his fifth double-double of the season and his third in a row.

Christian James tied a career high with 19 points -- all in the first half -- and freshman Brady Manek and Jamuni McNeace added 11 each for the Sooners (10-1).

Dererk Pardon scored 17 points to lead Northwestern (9-5). Bryant McIntosh and Aaron Falzon added 12 each.

Oklahoma extended its winning streak to eight heading into Big 12 play. The Sooners are just one win from equaling their total from a year ago, when they finished 11-20.

Northwestern had its four-game winning streak snapped.

The Sooners got off to a blistering start with 22 points in the first five minutes.

Just 45 seconds into the game, Young drove toward the basket and floated over a Wildcats defender, dropping the ball in the bucket and picking up the foul.

Less than 30 seconds later, he found Rashard Odomes for a cutting layup in transition for his first assist.

Oklahoma hit 14 first-half 3-pointers and finished with 17 to tied the school record.

Northwestern struggled to keep up with Oklahoma's pace early, shooting 42.9 percent in the first half but just 4 of 15 (26.7 percent) from behind the arc.

The Wildcats had hit 11 or more 3-pointers in each of their previous three games but finished with eight.

The Sooners reached the 100-point mark in the final two minutes, breaking into triple digits for the fourth time this season and the second consecutive.

Oklahoma had 22 assists, topping 20 assists for the sixth time this year.

NOTES: With his 25 first-half points, Oklahoma PG Trae Young became the first Sooners player since Stacey King in 1988-89 to score 20 or more points in 10 consecutive games. … Northwestern junior F Vic Law missed his second consecutive game with a concussion. ... Oklahoma F Brady Manek's free throws in the opening moments were his first made free throws of the season. He was 0 of 4 from the line coming into the game. ... Oklahoma opens Big 12 play on Dec. 30 at No. 15 TCU. Northwestern hosts Brown the same day.