OU, OSU Win In Preseason Action

OU 112 Washburn 62

No. 8 Oklahoma 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.

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.

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.

OSU 94 East Central 66

Individual Notes

• Senior guard Phil Forte knocked down his first 3-point attempts and finished with 11 points, all in the first half.
• Jeff Newberry just missed out on what would have been his first career double-double had this been an official game. The senior tallied 11 points and a career-high nine rebounds. His previous career high in rebounds is six against Texas Tech last season.
• Chris Olivier, a senior, made his debut in an OSU uniform, and reached double-figures with 11 points.
• Tyree Griffin earned the start at point guard and racked up a game-high 12 points, which would have eclipsed his previous career high of 11 points against Prairie View A&M last season.
• Anthony Allen dished out three assists on the night, which also would have been a career high. The senior’s previous high was two dimes on two occasions, last against Maryland.
• Mitchell Solomon entered the exhibition game with a career-high of four points, but nearly reached double-figures with nine points.• Davon Dillard and Igor Ibaka also saw their first action at OSU. Dillard tallied seven points, and Ibaka had two points and three boards.
• Codey McElroy splashed home a corner three pointer in his first appearance at Gallagher-Iba. In fact, it was his first competative basketball game since high school.
• OSU sophomore Jeffrey Carroll celebrated his 21st birthday against East Central.

Team Notes

• OSU tallied just four points in the paint in the opening half, but went to the low block early and often in the second. The Cowboys scored 28 in the paint in the closing frame and 32 overall on the night.
• Eigth Cowboys scored at least five points against ECU.
• OSU raced out to an 11-0 lead, and made four of its first five shots.
• The Cowboys blocked six shots in the first half, including three from OSU newcomer Chris Olivier.
• The Cowboys have now won 28 consecutive exhibition games dating back to Nov. 9, 2000 (Athletes First 96, OSU 95 in Enid, Okla.).
• Oklahoma State is 55-4 in exhibition tilts since 1973, including a 50-1 record since the 1989-90 season.
• OSU has reached the century mark 19 times in exhibition games, including five times under Travis Ford.
• OSU is 13-0 in exhibition games under Travis Ford.
• Tonight’s attendance was 3,198.

Next Up

• The Cowboys open the 107th season of OSU basketball next Friday, Nov. 13 against UT Martin in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports-Plus and the Cowboy Radio Network. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.