OKLAHOMA’S RED-HOT SHOOTING TOO MUCH FOR MEN’S BASKETBALL

12/2/2011

Senior Heath Hoffman scored a team-high tying 10 points and added a team-best five rebounds tonight

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma led from start to finish while shooting a blazing 57.4 percent (31-54) from the field and 55.0 percent (11-20) from the three-point line on the way to an 82-53 victory over Sacramento State in a non-conference men’s basketball game Friday evening at the Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners, who shot better than 56 percent from the floor in both halves, scored the game’s first four points and never looked back. In fact, a three-pointer from Sam Grooms with 9:05 remaining in the first half gave the Sooners a double-digit lead (24-13), and Oklahoma would sustain that double-figure advantage the final 29:05 of the contest.

All five Oklahoma starters sot better than 50 percent from the field as the fivesome combined to shoot 68.6 percent (24-35) from the floor, including 80.0 percent (8-10) from the three-point line. Grooms (2-for-2), Steve Pledger (3-for-3) and Cameron Clark (3-for-5) were hitting on all cylinders from the three-point line as Sacramento State struggled to defend the perimeter against a more athletic Oklahoma squad.

The Hornets shot a respectable 44.2 percent (19-43) from the field and 54.5 percent (6-11) from the three-point arc, but Oklahoma converted on 12 more field goals and five more three-pointers. Seven of the Sooners’ made buckets came on dunks.

The Sooners also held a 29-23 advantage in the rebounding department. Sacramento State, which entered the game averaging just 12.0 turnovers per contest, were forced into a season-high 22 miscues. Oklahoma took full advantage, scoring 30 points off Hornet turnovers and limiting Sacramento State to zero fast-break points. The Sooners tallied 16 steals, including three each from Andrew Fitzgerald, Grooms and Pledger.

With the loss, Sacramento State dropped its third straight while falling to 3-4 on the young season. The Hornets were playing the second leg of a season-long three-game road trip which concludes on Wednesday at Cal State Bakersfield. The Hornets played at Cal Poly two days ago, and will have been on the road five straight days by the time the team returns to Sacramento tomorrow.

Oklahoma, which defeated the Hornets for the second straight season, improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 at home under first-year head coach Lon Kruger.

Clark led all players with 18 points as he finished 7-of-12 from the field with three assists, three blocks and two steals. Joining Clark in double figures for the Sooners were Pledger (15 points and a game-high five assists) and Fitzgerald (13 points, 6-of-8 shooting). Grooms added nine points and Romero Osby added eight as the five Sooner starters combined for 63 of the team’s 82 points.

For Sacramento State, Heath Hoffman had a team-high tying 10 points and team-best five rebounds as the senior connected on 3-of-6 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from distance. Junior swingman Joe Eberhard also had 10 points and added four rebounds in 29 minutes. Senior John Dickson added nine points and two steals, and Walter Jackson had eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Freshman Dylan Garrity added four assists in a team-high 30 minutes, and the point guard has now led the Hornets in assists in every game this year. However, Garrity, who entered the game with a very impressive 3.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, was forced into seven turnovers by the Oklahoma defense. Six other Sacramento State players were also forced into miscues. Senior center Josh McCarver went 2-for-2 from the floor (four points) and is now shooting a robust 90.0 percent (18-for-20) from the field this season.

Both teams used 11 players in tonight’s game, with each of those players getting at least four minutes of playing time.