CINCINNATI (AP) — Zach Freemantle scored 28 points, Nate Johnson drained seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points and Paul Scruggs added 20 points as Xavier beat Oklahoma 99-77 on Wednesday night in the Big 12/Big East Challenge.
Freemantle, who was a near-perfect 12-for-14 shooting, and Johnson each reached career highs for points and 3-pointers — Freemantle hit four — as the Musketeers pushed their season-opening win streak to seven games, matching the 7-0 start to the 2016-17 season.
Xavier set a program record with 19 3-pointers, hitting more than half of their field goals from beyond the arc. Xavier was 36-for-63 shooting for 57%.
The game, played before 300 fans and a number of cutouts in the 10,000-seat Cintas Center, was a barn-burner with 11 lead changes and eight ties and neither team leading by more than three through the first 15 minutes.
That’s when Xavier took off, holding Oklahoma (2-1) scoreless for 3 1/2 minutes and closing the half on a 14-4 run. Xavier’s offense was showcased by Freemantle in the final 67 seconds of the first half, hitting a second-chance jumper, then getting the feed on a 2-on-1 break after a Colby Jones steal to soar in for a dunk.
Brady Manek led the Sooners with 17 points, Austin Reaves added 13 and De’Vion Harmon 11. Alondes Williams and Victor Iwuakor each scored 10.
The teams had 11 turnovers each, but Xavier scored 19 off miscues to Oklahoma’s 12.
