Report Card: Duke Miles’ 29 points lead Oklahoma to an 89-66 Victory

After an exhilarating comeback win over No. 24 Michigan earlier this week, the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners returned to the court Saturday afternoon and stayed perfect with an 89-66 rout of Central Arkansas. The day belonged to Duke Miles, who exploded for a season-high 29 points in a dominant performance.

If there’s one thing that’s become clear about this team during non-conference play, it’s their scoring depth. Jeremiah Fears, Kobe Elvis, Jalon Moore, and Duke Miles have all had their moments as the go-to scorer, and Saturday was no different. Miles was the only one to hit the 20-point mark in this game, but Fears and Moore weren’t far behind. Fears poured in 19 points, while Moore added 17, showcasing just how many weapons Oklahoma has offensively.

Central Arkansas kept it competitive early, thanks to Layne Taylor’s 16 points and a surprising outburst from Ben Fox. The Bears’ sharpshooter, who entered the game shooting just 29.5% from beyond the arc, went a perfect 4-4 from deep in the first half. Oklahoma’s defense was shaky in those opening 20 minutes, but the Sooners settled in after halftime, clamping down and outscoring UCA 43-24 in the second half.

Now sitting at 12-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Sooners have just one non-conference tune-up remaining before diving into the gauntlet of SEC play. Let’s dive into the Report Card from Oklahoma’s twelfth win of the season:

Miles followed up his impressive 17-point outing against Michigan earlier this week with an even more dominant performance on Sunday. He finished with 29 points, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals while shooting 11-17 from the field and 4-8 from three-point range.

It felt like everything was falling for Miles in this game. While the overall performance from the Sooners was sloppy at times, Miles ensured the Bears never came close to cutting the lead to single digits in the second half. What made his performance stand out even more were two key factors: his efficiency and his patience in letting the game come to him.

Throughout the season, we’ve often seen Fears and Elvis take charge for Oklahoma, but this time, it was Miles’ turn to lead the way. The Sooners thrive when two of their three guards are locked in, and Miles has been one of those two in back-to-back games now. His consistency is becoming a key factor in Oklahoma’s success.

The Sooners’ defense left much to be desired in the first half. Central Arkansas had the game right where they wanted it, trailing just 46-39 at halftime while shooting an efficient 45% from the field. Oklahoma’s defensive lapses allowed the Bears to hang around far longer than expected.

But after the break, the Sooners turned things around. They clamped down on UCA, holding them to just 24 points on 27% shooting in the second half. Oklahoma also forced 12 turnovers and limited the Bears to 25% shooting from three-point range for the game.

It wasn’t a flawless defensive effort by any means, but the second-half adjustments were crucial in helping the Sooners pull away and secure the win.

Oklahoma’s three-point shooting was solid in the first half, connecting on 6 of 15 attempts (40%). However, the second half saw some poor shot selections, as they shot just 4 of 14 (29%), bringing their total for the game to 10 of 29 (34.5%).

Miles was the leader from deep, hitting four of the ten made three-pointers, while Elvis added three more. Fears, Forsythe, and Taylor each contributed one, rounding out Oklahoma’s total of ten.

The Sooners had three starters drop 17+ points, with Miles leading the way with 29 points. Fears, who only had 4 points in the first half, finished strong with 19 points and five assists. Moore added 17 points and five rebounds. Anytime three out of your five starters deliver like that, it’s a big win for the unit.

Elvis posted 9 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. He was hot early on but cooled off a bit toward the end, missing a few bad attempts from three-point range. Sam Godwin chipped in with 4 points and seven rebounds in just 18 minutes.

All in all, it was a solid performance from Oklahoma’s starting five, with Miles stepping up and delivering a complete game. Moore and Fears also kept up their consistent double-figure scoring, even when they didn’t get going in the first half.

There wasn’t anything too wild from the bench in this one, with Glenn Taylor leading the way with 6 points in 18 minutes. One positive takeaway, though, is that Oklahoma got five different players into double-digit minutes off the bench.

Dayton Forsythe came in second behind Taylor for bench minutes, playing 13 minutes and knocking down a three-pointer in the first half for a total of 3 points. Brycen Goodine followed with 12 minutes but struggled with his shot, going 0-of-4 from deep. Then came Luke Northweather and Mohamed Wague, both logging 10 minutes.

Northweather didn’t score, but Wague contributed 2 points, along with seven rebounds and a block. Wague, whose minutes have been up and down, made some solid contributions off the bench for Oklahoma.

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