Sooners Basketball Cruises Past Washburn In Exhibition

Five players scored in double figures for the Oklahoma men's basketball team in its opening exhibition game as the Sooner defeated Washburn 104-76 Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center.

Senior Cameron Clark scored 23 points and added seven rebounds while sophomore Buddy Hield added 21 points and five boards for Oklahoma. Clark was 8-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from long distance while Hield was 7-for-11 and 2-for-3.

The Sooners' 104 points were the program's most in an exhibition game since scoring 118 points against North Carolina-Pembroke in 2005. Lon Kruger's Sooners combined to shoot 55.2 percent (37-for-67) from the field, 43.5 percent (10-for-23) from 3-point range and 87.0 percent (20-23) from the free throw line on the afternoon.

"It was a good first game," said Kruger, who is starting his third year at OU. "We've been practicing for a few weeks now and to see how the guys transfer from practice situations into a game is what this was really about. They did a pretty good job. Pace was good; we really pushed the ball out of the backcourt.

"They did a pretty good job of finding their feet and avoiding the fouling. We have to do a better job defensively as you might expect after the first game. The guys shared the ball, dictated the pace and did a good job on the boards, so it was a good first game for us."

Up 23-17 midway through the first half, Oklahoma went on a 14-0 run over the span of 14 minutes, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Clark to push the margin to 37-17.

After settling for a 48-35 halftime lead, OU hit its first four shots of the second period and methodically pulled away from the Ichabods, an NCAA Division II school from Topeka, Kan. Kruger and Washburn head coach Bob Chipman were Kansas State teammates in the early 1970s.

Two newcomers filled the stat sheet in their first appearances as Sooners. Freshman point guard Jordan Woodard scored 15 points while adding game highs of five steals and four assists, while sophomore transfer Ryan Spangler nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and eight rebounds.

Senior Tyler Neal came off the bench and also submitted a strong all-around performance, registering 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Oklahoma returns to action for its second and final exhibition game against Oklahoma Christian on Monday, Nov. 4, at McCasland Field House. Tickets to the 7 p.m. game are just $5.