By KUAthletics.com
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Even an elite scorer like Jalen Wilson needs a confidence boost sometimes. Wilson scored a team-high 18 points, and No. 9 Kansas rolled past Oklahoma 78-55 on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center.
Wilson, who entered the day leading the Big 12 with nearly 21 points per game, bounced back from a two-point outing against Texas on Monday. He started off slowly against Oklahoma but scored 10 points in the final 4:14 of the first half to put the Jayhawks in control.
“He needed to see the ball go in the basket,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “For a guy that’s averaging 20, you wouldn’t think he needed to see the ball go in the basket, but he did. I can tell.”
During that run, Wilson made 4 of 5 field goals, and Kansas pushed a 21-20 lead to 35-22. His final bucket of the half was a contested 3-pointer with three seconds left.
Wilson also had five rebounds, five assists and a career-high five steals. Teammates Dajuan Harris Jr. scored 16 points on 7 of 11 field goals and Kevin McCullar Jr. added 13 for the Jayhawks (20-5, 8-4 Big 12).
Harris provided needed scoring support for Wilson, especially with Oklahoma limiting Kansas’ freshman sharpshooter, Gradey Dick, to five shots — none of them 3s. Harris has posted three of his four highest-scoring games this season in his past three contests.
Self said the unselfish guard helps his team when he looks for his shot.
