Following its historic upset loss to East Texas A&M, OU men’s basketball bounced back with a 84-57 victory over Mississippi Valley State Friday evening.
Here are key takeaways:
Cold starts
Scoring didn't come easy to start both halves.
Fifth-year center Duke Brennan opened the scoring for the Sooners two minutes and 41 seconds into the first half, and the Sooners didn't pass 10 points until the 11:39 mark.
Although the Sooners had difficulties scoring, OU forced three turnovers before the 11:39 mark. The last steal in that timeframe caused the scoring drought to end with a B.J. Edwards 3-pointer that kickstarted a 10-1 run.
The fifth-year guard broke down how they were able to combat the cold starts.
“(It) just relates back to the defense, us stringing together a couple of stops in a row,” Edwards said. “We already (had) the lead, (so) they can't do anything to get (back in the game). … The offense will come.”
Raining 3-pointers
Despite going 5 of 20 from deep against East Texas A&M, the Sooners showed no fear of letting it fly from beyond the arc.
They shot 32.5% on 40 3-point attempts. Combining their defensive emphasis and 3-point barrage, they were able to stack multiple runs, which resulted in a comfortable lead until the game’s conclusion.
Head coach Porter Moser loved the volume and felt his team did a great job countering the defense.
“At one point, we were like, 4 for 21 from three in the first half, and I don't think one time I said, ‘Oh, that was a forced or bad three.’ They were all good threes,” Moser said. “I'm glad we shot 40 of them because they were available. They were really closing off the paint.”
Edwards, junior forward Derrion Reid, freshman guard Quincy Wadley and fifth-year guard Pop Isaacs combined for 26 of those attempts, and OU knocked down 13 as a team. That's a significant uptick in efficiency compared to its loss against East Texas A&M, going from 25.0% to 32.5%.
Reid wants his teammates to be confident when open to shoot from deep.
“Honestly, if it's coming, it's coming,” Reid said. “If you get an open shot, we expect everybody on our team to shoot it. No matter if they're on (or) off. If it's open, it's open.”
Derrion Reid is always there
Reid was concrete for the Sooners, recording 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 28 minutes against Mississippi Valley State.
Reid also finished the Sooners' loss to East Texas A&M with a 14 point, 10 rebound double-double, combined with five stocks (steals and blocks), on 40% from the field and 50% from deep.
Throughout the Sooners’ first half struggles Friday, when they needed a bucket, they went to Reid.
Moser highlighted Reid’s approach to the game after the win over Mississippi Valley State.
“He's been solid,” Moser said. “He knows where to be. … He's confident. He's not pressing. … He's thinking about winning and thinking about making the right play instead of thinking about (things) like, ‘Am I doing good?’... Derrion is in the moment of what needs to be done to win.”
Next, the Sooners (1-1) will host North Alabama (2-0) at 7 p.m. Monday at Lloyd Noble Center on SEC Network+.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
