By John Shinn
Oklahoma showed what it could do when shots were falling in its season-opening victory over Norfolk State. Thursday night, the Sooners exhibited what they could accomplish when they weren’t.
The results remained the same.
The Sooners rolled through Liberty 74-48 at Lloyd Noble Center and improved to 2-0.
OU coach Jeff Capel said defense had been the Sooners’ focus in the days leading up to the game. They scored 99 points in their season-opening rout of Norfolk State, but he wanted to see a more aggressive team without the ball the second time out.
What he emphasized was achieved. The Flames, who were playing their season opener, shot 30.2 percent (16-for-53) from the floor and were held to just 12 first-half points.
“I thought our defense was tremendous tonight, especially in the first half,” Capel said. “We didn’t make shots. Some of those we made last week, we didn’t knock in. But our defense was very aggressive. We attacked. That’s something we talk about all the time.”
For the second straight game, Longar Longar was solid in the post. The junior center pumped in 21 points and was 9-for-11 from the field.
Freshman Tony Crocker added 18 points, including nine straight and two dunks during a 17-2 first-half run that helped OU put the game away early.
“I like this style,” Crocker said. “We get up and down and get everybody involved, the wings and the big men. They get dunks, we get dunks. Everybody is happy.”
Nate Carter came off the bench to add 10 points and eight rebounds. Taylor Griffin finished with nine points and a game-high 12 boards.
Larry Blair, who averaged 24.2 points in Big South games last season, led the Flames with a game-high 23.
However, he missed 11 of 12 attempts from the tip and scored 20 of those points after the game was well out of reach.
“We told our guys he was going to get points,” Capel said. “The key was we didn’t let him be efficient in how he was getting his points.
Blair finished the game 8-for-23, but was 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Alex McLean added 13.
The Sooners struggled in the first half, but wound up shooting 46.8 percent (29-for-62). The only blemish was a 3-for-16 showing from beyond the arc.
But OU’s long-distance accuracy should get a dramatic boost soon. Thursday’s game ended Michael Neal’s two-game suspension for a secondary NCAA rule violation.
He was the best 3-point shooter in the Big 12 last season and will be back in the lineup when the Sooners face No. 13 Memphis at 1:30 p.m. Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
“He’s going to be a big help,” Crocker said. “He’s a great 3-point shooter, but he’s also a big leader for us.”
Maui will also be a proving ground for a young team. Potential matchups against No. 6 UCLA, No. 22 Kentucky and No. 23 Georgia Tech await.
But OU will have confidence when it gets off the plane.
“We just want to see progress,” Capel said. “I think we’ve done that so far.”
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
