Norman, OK – Trae Young may lead the NCAA in scoring (28.5 ppg), but tonight he put on a show by delivering an NCAA record 22 assists in a 105-68 rout by Oklahoma over the Demons of Northwestern State. He came out passing early, collecting seven assists in the first eight minutes of play.
The teams were tied 11-11 early on due to three point shooting from both sides, but OU began to pull away with a quick 13-1 run. The Sooners led 53-37 at the half while shooting 57 percent from the floor. Young’s 13 first-half assists broke a Big 12 conference record previously held by Pierre Jackson, Doug Gottlieb, and Michael Johnson. The freshman star was quick to give his teammates a lot of credit for his success tonight, mentioning that they did their part in making the shots. One of the players who made the most of his opportunity was Brady Manek.
Trae Young
The 6-9 Manek played efficiently throughout the entire game by shooting 9-of-11. In the second half it seemed that many of the assists for Young went to Manek in either transition or off of baseline cuts. He was able to sneak behind the defense on multiple occasions, finishing well at the rim each time. The Harrah, OK native is averaging eleven points and five rebounds in twenty-four minutes per contest. He’s tall and lean with veryy long arms which allow him to get shots off above the reach of defenders, especially behind the arc. He is shooting 38 percent this season from three, including 4-of-6 against the Demons tonight.
Ishmael Lane and Larry Owens played well, scoring seventeen and sixteen points respectively for the Demons. The Sooners, however proved too much to handle. Jamuni McNeace and Khadeem Lattin dominated the paint the entire night by blocking shots making life difficult on the rebounding front. Kristian Doolittle saw his first action of the season for the Sooners; his return will provide yet another boost to a team already playing well. Last year he averaged nine points and six rebounds per game.
Young finished the night with 26 points, 22 assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes. His draft stock continues to rise as he has played well against all levels of competition thus far. To begin the season there were questions as to if he would even enter this year’s draft, now some experts have projected him in the lottery.
The Sooners will host Northwestern (9-4) on Friday, and begin conference play against undefeated and No. 15-ranked TCU on December 30th.
This article was written by Derek Murray, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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