Sooners Steamroll Washburn In Exhibition Action

Behind a stout defensive performance, the No. 19 Oklahoma men's basketball team defeated Washburn 73-48 in its opening exhibition game Friday night inside Lloyd Noble Center.

Junior Buddy Hield scored a game-high 24 points and added three assists, two rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes. Hield, a Sporting News preseason third-team All-American who went 7-for-12 from the field, scored 11 of OU's first 15 points.

"I thought he did a really good job of getting us off to a good start," said OU head coach Lon Kruger, who is starting his fourth season in Norman. "I thought the guys moved the ball well. He hit shots in rhythm, jumped up and knocked them down. At other times, he was aggressive getting to the rim and got some free throws. Buddy has worked hard in the offseason and practiced well. What he did tonight was no surprise."

Sophomore Jordan Woodard and junior Isaiah Cousins also posted double-digit scoring performances with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Woodard added game highs of five assists and five steals while committing just one turnover. Cousins grabbed six boards.

Lon Kruger's Sooners shot 39.7 percent from the field, 19.4 percent from 3-point range (6 for 31) and 68.0 percent (17 for 25) from the free throw line. They held Washburn to 30.8 percent field goal and 25.0 percent 3-point shooting (3 for 12).

The Sooners outrebounded Washburn 48-38 and were led on the glass by freshman Khadeem Lattin (11 boards) and junior Ryan Spangler (10). OU forced 19 turnovers and tallied 11 steals in the contest.

Kruger said he liked what he saw from Lattin, a top-75 recruit.

"Not only did he rebound the ball well but I thought he got rid of the ball quickly on the outlet pass and made the right play," said Kruger. "He gave us good energy on the defensive boards, especially. Overall, I thought he did a really good job."

OU held a 33-24 lead at halftime and outscored the Ichabods, an NCAA Division II school from Topeka, Kan., by a 40-24 count in the second half. Kruger and Washburn head coach Bob Chipman were Kansas State teammates in the early 1970s.

Friday's attendance was 5,134, a figure that is significantly higher than the six-game 2,834 exhibition average the previous three seasons.

Oklahoma returns to action Tuesday for its final exhibition game against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The game will be played at 7 p.m. CT inside McCasland Field House in the heart of OU's campus.