Sooners Hold Off Late Rally To Top Santa Clara

The Oklahoma Sooners, led by Steven Pledger held off a late game rally to top Santa Clara 85-73 in the 76 Classic semifinals.

Pledger tallied 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field along with four three pointers for the second-highest point total of his career.

In the first half, Pledger netted a layup that started a spurt of 18 unanswered points to close out the first half and give the Sooners a 42-19 lead at the break.

Andrew Fitzgerald tied his career-high with 13 rebounds and 12 points for the Sooners while Sam Grooms added 12 points and six assists.

Evan Roquemore led the way for Santa Clara with seven made 3-pointers and he finished with 27 points and 10 assists. Kevin Foster had 19 for the Broncos (3-2), which made 11 three pointers in the second half to close the gap. Foster broke Steve Nash's school record for career 3-pointers with his 264th late in the second half.

Oklahoma shot 46.7 percent from the field and pulled down a total of 43 rebounds.

The Sooners (4-0) now advance to the championship game against Saint Louis on Sunday at 8 p.m. CT.