By John Shinn
There were a lot of ways Oklahoma could have beaten Iowa State Wednesday night. It's doubtful the offensive explosion that led to the Sooners' 89-84 victory was high on anyone's list.
But it was the main reason -- and about the only reason -- OU was able to snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 12-8 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 Conference.
Few could have predicted things would have gone that way for the Sooners. Their two leading scorers, Willie Warren and Tony Crocker, were both in street clothes due to ankle injuries.
Defense was an issue for the Sooners and that was exemplified in OU nearly losing what had been a 21-point lead. The Cyclones actually shot 58.9 percent for the game. If it hadn't been for 18 turnovers, the outcome likely would have been different.
Luckily for OU, freshman point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin got off to a hot start and never cooled.
"I felt like the rhythm was there. Once I hit the second 3, I was like 'I'm going to need to get going,' so I tried to get into it as quickly as I could," he said after scoring a career high with 38 points.
His teammates fell right in behind him.
The Sooners shot 48.5 percent, which was by far their best clip since conference play began. The Sooners also hit 11-for-26 from 3-point land. Tommy Mason-Griffin and Cade Davis were a combined 9-for-19.
The effort ended a five-game streak where the Sooners had failed to shoot at least 41 percent. Obviously, few could have predicted that kind of offensive performance with Warren and Crocker on the bench.
OU's players couldn't come up with a perfect explanation. They just hope it continues.
"It's huge, but also if we're coming back at home we feel more comfortable on the floor, feel more comfortable shooting the ball here," Davis said. "Hopefully that'll carry over as we go on to our next road game."
The Sooners travel to Nebraska (12-8, 0-5) for a 12:45 p.m. tip Saturday at the Devaney Center. It's a game OU has a reasonable expectation of winning. The Huskers have lost five straight, but you never know what the Sooners will do this season, especially away from home.
The last couple of games, OU had been defending and rebounding at a winning level, yet was still coming off back-to-back losses to Texas A--M and Texas Tech. Wednesday, their freshman point guard got hot and the Sooners were able to get a win on a night they were nowhere near full strength.
"Gutsy performance by our guys. They stepped up and did a great job," OU coach Jeff Capel said.
There's no definitive word on whether Warren or Crocker will be able to play Saturday. Those decisions won't be made until Saturday.
But at least OU discovered Wednesday it has a go-to scorer in Mason-Griffin, who led an offensive attack back from the dead. As a result, the season still has some life.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
