University of Oklahoma Athletics
University of Oklahoma
Washburn
Sooners Showcase Depth in Win Over Washburn
November 06, 2015 | Men's Basketball
| Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | WU |
OU |
| Points | 62 | 112 |
| FGM-A | 21-51 | 35-71 |
| FG% | .412 | .493 |
| 3 FGM-A | 7-18 | 15-28 |
| 3 FG% | .389 | .536 |
| FTM-A | 13-24 | 27-37 |
| FT% | .542 | .730 |
| Rebounds | 27 | 52 |
| Assists | 8 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 24 | 8 |
| Blocks | 2 | 8 |
| Steals | 4 | 13 |
| Individual Leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | WU |
OU |
| Points | J. Blake - 15 | B. Hield - 20 |
| Rebounds | B. Skeens - 5 | Two Players - 8 |
| Assists | Two Players - 2 | Two Players - 5 |
| Steals | J. Blake - 2 | B. Hield - 4 |
| Blocks | Two Players - 1 |
Two Players - 2 |
NORMAN — The No. 8/8 Oklahoma men's basketball team showcased its depth as 13 Sooners scored in a 112-62 win over Washburn in its opening exhibition game Friday night inside Lloyd Noble Center.
Five Sooners scored in double digits, led by senior Buddy Hield, who recorded a game-high 20 points (6-11 FG, 3-6 3FG). Hield, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, added five rebounds, four steals and three assists in 23 minutes of action.
OU head coach Lon Kruger said he saw some promising moments from his squad in the ballgame.
"Good opportunity to get into a game situation and see what we can transfer from practice to a game," Kruger said. "I thought our guys did a lot of things well. We moved the ball well, obviously shot the ball from 3 very well, made the extra pass. Eight turnovers in a ballgame with a lot of possessions like that, good taking care of the basketball."
Seniors Dinjiyl Walker and Ryan Spangler finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Spangler, along with redshirt freshman Jamuni McNeace, led the Sooners with eight rebounds apiece.
OU's freshmen impressed in their debuts in the Crimson and Cream, combining for 36 points. Christian James finished with 14 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. At one point in the second half, James lost his left shoe on a backdoor cut but hit shots from behind the arc on back-to-back possessions.
Freshman Rashard Odomes recorded 12 points after going 10-for-13 from the free throw line, McNeace added six points and redshirt freshman Dante Buford registered four.
According to Hield, the depth of the Sooners is going to be an asset this season.
“That's what we were lacking last year was the bench production to get us over the hump," Hield explained. "But we just have to be really aggressive, like you see Christian (James) and Rashard (Odomes) being really aggressive. We have guys like Khadeem (Lattin), Jamuni (McNeace) and Dante (Buford) who can score in spurts. We just hope everyone is clicking, which is fun to watch.”
Lon Kruger's Sooners shot 49.3 percent from the field (35 for 71), 53.6 percent from 3-point range (15 for 28) and 73 percent (27 for 37) from the free throw line.
The OU defense forced 24 Ichabod turnovers, 13 of which came from steals, while allowing just eight assists. The Sooners scored 47 points off those turnovers.
OU outrebounded Washburn, an NCAA Division II school from Topeka, Kan., 52-27. Kruger and Washburn head coach Bob Chipman were teammates at Kansas State in the early 1970s.
The Sooners held a 53-39 advantage at halftime. OU opened the second period on an 11-0 run and did not look back from there, outscoring the Ichabods by a 59-23 mark over the closing 20 minutes.
Attendance for the contest was 7,892.
Oklahoma returns to action Thursday, Nov. 12, for its final exhibition game against Mid-America Christian. The game will be played at 7 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. Tickets are available online here or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-GoOU.
