Sooners Advance In Vegas With Blowout Of Syracuse

News9.com

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – After dropping three straight games, the Sooners have bounced back to win three straight.

Oklahoma had no trouble cruising past Syracuse 82-63 on the second day of the Duel of the Desert at the COX Pavilion.

Sophomore Morgan Hook had a huge game with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists.

OU coach Sherri Coale said Hook and others made some big shots early which helped the team settle in.

"She's being very selective about when she shoots, when she feeds," Coale said. "It's as though that decision-making process is just getting clearer for her."

Hook connected on five 3-pointers in the win as the Sooners moved to 6-3.

Oklahoma wasted no time jumping out to a 16-point lead just 12 minutes into the game.

The Sooners led by 12 points at halftime and led by as many as 27, which came late in the second half.

Forward Joanna McFarland was key for the Sooners, scoring a career-high 19 and grabbing eight rebounds. The Sooners outrebounded Syracuse 50-43 on the game.

Coale said she thought her team did a solid job on the boards and in the post.

"I think we found some success going inside even though we didn't go very often," Coale said. "A couple of times that took some pressure off everybody as well."

Oklahoma shot 56 percent from 3-point range and limited the Orange to just 27 percent shooting from the floor.

The Sooners won't waste any time with a quick turnaround for the next round of the Duel in the Desert.

OU and Xavier will tip off at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Las Vegas.