New players help Sooners get win
BY Staff Reports
Saturday, November 03, 2012
11/03/12 at 5:27 AM
NORMAN - Oklahoma opened its men's basketball season with an 83-66 exhibition win over Washburn on Friday night at Lloyd Noble Center.
A pair of newcomers led the Sooners in scoring. Freshman Buddy Hield went 3-for-4 from 3-point range and scored a team-high 16 points, while junior transfer Amath M'Baye went 4-for-8 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line en route to a 14-point effort.
OU was bolstered by its 3-point shooting. The Sooners were 11-for-22 from behind the arc and received long-range production from five players. The freshman guard trio of Hield, Isaiah Cousins (3-for-4) and Je'lon Hornbeak (2-for-2) went a combined 8-for-10 from 3-point range. Cousins finished with nine points and Hornbeak six.
Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger, going against former Kansas State teammate Bob Chipman's NCAA Division II Ichabods, saw his team lead 40-28 at halftime only to see the margin cut to six (46-40) with 16 minutes remaining. OU later used a 12-2 run to go up 74-53 and cruised down the stretch.
Both teams were plagued by turnovers, with the Ichabods committing 23 and the Sooners 21.
OU outshot Washburn 43.9 percent to 41.1, and posted a modest 40-36 rebounding advantage.
All-America guard Will McNeill led Washburn, which is ranked No. 4 in the Division II national preseason poll, with 19 points. He was 12-for-12 at the free-throw line.
The Sooners return to the court Wednesday for their final exhibition game against Central Oklahoma at 7 p.m.
Oklahoma 83, Washburn 66
| Washburn |
28 |
38 |
- |
66 |
| Oklahoma |
40 |
43 |
- |
83 |
Washburn: McNeill 19, Ulsaker 12, Smith 12, Mitchell 9, Riggins 4, Chipman 3, North 3, Henry 2, Flowers 2.
Oklahoma: Hield 16, MBaye 14, Pledger 9, Cousins 9, Osby 8, Neal 7, Hornbeak 6, Grooms 5, Fitzgerald 5, Clark 4.
OU up next
Vs. Central Oklahoma
7 p.m. Wednesday
