Oklahoma basketball: Three-pointers from OU’s rebound win

All five Oklahoma basketball starters scored in double figures as the Sooners rolled over winless Florida A&M for their third win of the season.

The 85-54 win over the Rattlers represented a dramatic turnaround for the Sooner men, who suffered a 22-point loss at Xavier in their last outing on Wednesday.

Sooners continue to shoot the ball well

For the fourth straight game, the Sooners shot 46 percent or better from the field. Six-foot, 10-inch senior center Kur Kuath led a balanced Oklahoma offensive attack with a team-high 14 points. All five OU starters reached double figures, with seniors Austin Reeves and Brady Manek contributing 12 and 10, respectively. Alondes Williams and De’Vion Harmon also contributed 10 points apiece.

In addition to the balanced attack from the starters, the Sooner reserves added another 29 points. North Texas transfer Umoja Gibson led the Sooners off the bench with nine points.

In Oklahoma’s four games so far, three different players have led the team in scoring, which is a sign that the Sooners aren’t going to rely on just one or two players to carry the load every night.

The Sooners scored 36 of their points in the paint and 19 off of 15 Florida A&M turnovers.

OU stayed strong the entire game

Oklahoma took command of this game from the opening tip. The Sooners opened up an 18-6 advantage in the early going and never let up. Florida A&M went on a brief 7-0 run to cut the OU lead to 27-22, but that was as close as the Rattlers would get the rest of the game.

The Sooners’ offensive production will stand out the most in this game, but its the defensive effort that fired the offense. While Oklahoma was having its way in the paint with Kur Kuath’s size presence, it was that same presence by the OU big man that enabled OU to limit the Rattlers to just 16 points in close at the basket.

Florida A&M actually shot a better percentage at three-point range (37.5) than it did overall (31.7), which, again, can be attributed to Oklahoma’s solid defensive effort.

Oklahoma opened up its biggest margin of the game at the 4:10 mark in the second half. A free throw by Victor Iwuakor gave the Sooners an 83-46 lead and a 37-point advantage.

Ball security at a season best

The Sooners played a near error-free game, committing a season-low seven turnovers. Florida A&M scored just nine points off of OU mistakes and, even more telling, were able to generate just three points in transition.

Next up for the Sooners: Oklahoma continues its five-game homestand on Wednesday against Oral Roberts (2-3), 7 p.m. CT,  at Lloyd Noble Center.