In a much-needed breather between two consecutive losses and the start of Big 12 play, the OU men's basketball team routed the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks 88-54 Monday at Lloyd Noble Center.

"It's important to win," OU head coach Jeff Capel said. "I don't know if our guys would admit it, but they were probably struggling a bit, confidence-wise, especially with the manner in which we lost the last two games. To have some positive stuff happen tonight is good."

OU (9-5) never trailed the Hawks (3-10), opening the game on an 18-4 run. Junior guard Cade Davis' layup with 1:19 remaining in the game gave the Sooners a 39-point edge, their largest of the game.

Capel's starting line-up Monday stayed the same as it was when the Sooners dropped an 83-69 decision at Gonzaga New Year's Eve. Steven Pledger started at guard in place of Tommy Mason-Griffin, and Andrew Fitzgerald started in place of Tiny Gallon at forward.

Capel said the decision to go with a different starting lineup stemmed from disciplinary action he was taking against Gallon and Mason-Griffin, which was the reason those players did not start against Gonzaga or the Hawks.

"We are still searching [for a set player rotation]," Capel said. "I thought we took a step today … the effort we've been having at practice has been better. But we know we have a long way to go."

Four Sooners finished with double-figure points, led by Davis' 19. Davis also hit three of his six 3-point attempts. Sophomore guard Willie Warren finished with 15 points, senior guard Tony Crocker with 14 and Gallon 13.

Crocker and Gallon also each finished with a team-high 12 rebounds, giving both players double-doubles.

"While I'm down there, I'm just trying to work around the big guys, " Crocker said of his rebounding. "Keeping them off the glass is the big thing. Going down and getting the rebound is the plus."

Mason-Griffin finished the game with seven assists against no turnovers, while Warren dished the ball five times and only gave it away twice.

"Willie's our best player," Capel said. "We need Willie to be really good for us every night. That doesn't mean he's going to play great, but his effort, his body language, all those things have to be at a high level."

Sean Berry's double-double proved to be the only bright spot for UMES. He finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

The Hawks hit just 30 percent of their attempts from the field, versus 43.6 percent for the Sooners.

"I think [our defense] maybe looked a little bit better, because they missed some shots," Capel said. "We tried everything against Gonzaga. Man, 2-3 [zone], we even pulled out a triangle-and-2, 1-3-1, none of it worked. We just played man and a little bit of zone tonight, and gave them some different looks in full court."

The Sooners begin Big 12 play at 5 p.m. Saturday, when they travel to Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears.

"We know the level on Saturday will be a lot different, a lot better than what we saw today," Capel said. "It will be on par with what we saw against Gonzaga, and what we saw against UTEP."

OU will be back at Lloyd Noble Center for Bedlam against Oklahoma State 8 p.m. Monday. The Bedlam game will be part of ESPN's "Big Monday" telecast.

Notes: Tim Burns, who had started at guard the previous three games for UMES, came off the bench Monday, because he suffered from food poisoning. He eventually played 32 minutes, which is 2 1/2 more than his season average. He finished with seven points, down from his usual 9.5 points per game.

"He comes to Oklahoma, I tell him, 'The steaks are great,'" said UMES head coach Frankie Allen. "He orders fish. The old saying is, if you can't see water, don't order fish.

"The sports medicine staff here really helped us out. I'm glad we're Eastern Shore and not Oklahoma State, they might not have been as helpful," Allen joked. "They had people give him some IVs and work with him."

The Hawks lost Saturday at Nebraska, 74-60. OU will play the Cornhuskers Jan. 30 in Lincoln.