This Time, Oklahoma Survives, Outlasts UAPB

After a rough finish in Monday's season opener, the Sooners held off Arkansas-Pine Bluff this time to secure their first win of the season.

John E. Hoover | Nov 11, 2022

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Oklahoma Sooners

Jalen Hill made a layup with 53 seconds to play and Milos Uzan, C.J. Noland and Grant Sherfield each sank two free throws down the stretch to push Oklahoma to a 66-58 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday night at Lloyd Noble Center.

After dropping Monday’s opener to Sam Houston State, OU (1-1) earned its first win of the season.

Hill led all scorer with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Sherfield scored 16, including a pair of 3-pointers and 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line.

Hill didn’t score in Monday’s loss, but bounced back nicely against UAPB, including seven rebounds in 36 minutes.

Uzan was 4-of-5 from the field for 11 points. Tanner Groves was 3-for-3 for 7 points and led the Sooners with 11 points.

With 12 lead changers and six ties, it was another tense finish for the Sooners, who finished 3-of-14 from 3-point range after a rough shooting night in the opener. That game, the Sooners committed 21 turnovers. This time, OU limited the miscues to just 13.

OU was more productive getting to the free throw line, with 19 (of 28) free shots compared to 9 (of 13) for UAPB.

The Sooners remain home twice next week against UNC Wilmington (Tuesday) and South Alabama (Friday).

Published Nov 11, 2022

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.