Oklahoma started a bit slow but finished strong in posting an 84-64 victory over Washburn at Lloyd Noble Center in a tune-up for the official season tip off at home on Sunday against Northwestern (Oklahoma) State.
Taking the court without All-American and two-time Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield for the first time in three seasons, the Sooners took a while to get things going, battling the visiting Ichabods from Topeka, Kan., to a back-and-forth, one-point lead after the first 30 minutes.
That sluggish start carried over for the first five minutes of the second half before a young Sooners’ squad turned it up a couple of notches and put the game away with an impressive 37-14 run on 62-percent shooting over the final 15 minutes of the exhibition contest.