University of Oklahoma Athletics
Oklahoma Basketball Test Headline
October 30, 2007 | Athletics
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Game HighlightsOU took it inside early and often against a Royals team that beat Boise State on Sunday night by a 109-100 score. Center Longar Longar, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for one of two double-doubles (fellow senior David Godbold contributed 12 points and 10 boards), scored eight of OU's first 10 points.
Forward Blake Griffin, meanwhile, supplied 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench. The freshman was 9-for-12 from the field in leading the team in scoring for the third time.
The Sooners grabbed an 11-0 lead and kept the Royals scoreless for more than half of the first quarter. Douglas' Billy McNutt finally put Douglas on the board with a basket 6:10 into the game.
"We got off to a great start and Longar was the
main reason," said OU head coach Jeff Capel. "I
don't want to single out one guy, but Longar was tremendous. He
contributed in some fashion on each of our first five
baskets. The energy kept going from there.
"Our guys were really anxious to play this game because
of what Douglas College did against Boise State last
night. That really got our players' attention. Plus,
Bol Kong had been averaging about 25 (points) a game
for them coming in. He's probably the best player
on any of the four teams we faced."
The Sooners limited Kong, a wing who is considered an NBA prospect, to 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Kong didn't score until 1:49 remained in the first half.
Said Capel, "I thought David Godbold and everyone else who took turns guarding Kong early did a great job of not letting him get any looks."
The majority of the looks on the other end of the court came from inside the paint. Longar did almost all of his damage in the first half while Griffin was in foul trouble. Longar, who like Kong is from Sudan, netted 15 of his 16 points before halftime. Griffin was most effective late in the third quarter when he made four field goals in a span of 2:14. He added six more points in the fourth quarter on an array of dunks.
"I just wanted to come out aggressive," said Longar in reference to his fast start. "My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball down low. Coach (Mark) Cline told me a couple of times to get into my move as soon as I caught the ball. That's what I tried to do."
OU's guards were not without their own offensive moments. Cade Davis, Godbold and Omar Leary nailed two 3-pointers each, as did forward Keith Clark. Davis finished with 14 points while Leary finished with six points and three assists.
The Sooners shot .474 for the game while holding the Royals to a .290 figure. OU also forced 20 turnoveres and outrebounded Douglas by a 46-35 margin.
Billy McNutt paced the Royals with 19 points and added nine rebounds.
Oklahoma plays two home exhibition games (Oct. 31 and Nov. 2) before hosting its regular season opener Nov. 8 in the 2K Sports College Classic. For ticket information, contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or (800) 456-4668.
