Sports
Whitney Hand, Nyeshia Stevenson fill it up from beyond the arc
It wasn't everything coach Sherri Coale and her Sooners have been talking about in the preseason, but for 20 minutes, it was pretty close.
The ball was moving, shots were falling and, whether it was the stage fright of Rogers State or fantastic Oklahoma defense, it wasn't until the 11:43 mark of the first half the Hillcats converted their second field goal.
"We were relentless in our attack, but we were very sound with the basketball," Coale said. "Only five turnovers and 17 assists in the first half. It's hard to play a lot better than that."
That was the promise the Sooners delivered during Wednesday night's Lloyd Noble Center exhibition. OU crushed Rogers State 94-53 and did it, for the most part, they way it will have to be done all season long, particularly in the forever-rugged Big 12 Conference.
OU's two best shooters were its two leading scorers, a pattern that's bound to play itself out throughout the season, and which may be another way of saying the Sooners will often go as far as their 3-point shooting will take them.
Whitney Hand led the way with 27 points on 9 of 14 shooting, including 5 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc. She was joined by Nyeshia Stevenson, who canned 7 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 9 from long range to finish with 19 points.
Point guard Danielle Robinson might need to score more than the eight points she converted against the Hillcats, but she'll have a hard time bettering her 11-assist, zero-turnover night the length of the season.
"I thought she ran the team very well," Coale said of Robinson, who tallied her numbers, as well as four steals, in 19 minutes of court time. "I thought her pace of play, except maybe four or five possessions, was really good; not too fast, but still put pressure on the defense."
During the program's media day last week, Coale said she wanted Hand to take every available shot. The sophomore guard swished her very first effort, a 3-pointer from the left corner 7 seconds into the game.
Stevenson, whose 3-point light appears to be every bit as green as Hand's, hit five 3s in the first half, one more than she made in any game last season.
The two shooters combined on a play that might have been the game's signature moment when Stevenson received a pass beyond the arc on the left wing. She set her feet to shoot, but as the defense closed, she spotted Hand rotating left to right across the baseline toward the corner. Hand received the pass as she cleared the arc, instantaneously set her feet and drained the shot.
The Sooners want to exploit their transition offense this season. But even in their halfcourt offense, as Hand proved in the moment, they'll be running. And shooting.
"It's just so ingrained in our head," Hand said. "You know, 'Shoot the ball. Shoot the ball. Don't pass up an open shot.' That's the only thing coach said to me before the game."
OU led 62-24 at the half.
As for the second half, well, let's just say the Sooners want to play many more like the first.
Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com
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