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OU basketball no match for Gonzaga's size, downed in Spokane

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo6 hours agoBPrzybylo
Xzayvier Brown4
OU guard Xzayvier Brown. (James Snook - Imagn Images)

A slew of numbers from the first half of OU and Gonzaga could be used that point toward the result. But try 38-4 as the big one. Points in the paint – advantage Bulldogs. Ouch.

A slow start by OU combined with the Zags’ size, and OU had no answer in Spokane with an 83-68 defeat Saturday night.

The first half really told the story. Gonzaga had 15 more shot attempts, outrebounded OU 26-14, which included 10-2 edge offensively. OU didn’t help itself with 10 turnovers. Just a clunky performance.

Things were marginally better for OU in the second half, but the damage had been done. A 9-0 run with six minutes left cut the margin to 68-53. OU would not get any closer the rest of the evening.

Head coach Porter Moser knows how important center Mo Wague is, but Saturday was one of those nights. Wague picked up back-to-back fouls in the first three minutes of the game. OU had an early five-point lead and only trailed 19-18 before the wheels fell off a bit.

Wague entered late in the first half and picked up his third foul. Just one of those nights OU cannot afford right now.

Freshman Kai Rogers attempted to play, but he was clearly not 100 percent and not in game shape for his first-career game.

And the shocker of the week with freshman Alec Blair electing to leave the OU basketball team to focus on baseball. Jadon Jones was still out with a groin injury. So a little undermanned and a lot undersized, and that’s what you get.

Transfer guard Xzayvier Brown led the way for most of the night with 19 points, but it also came with five turnovers. Nijel Pack added 20 points, getting a lot of buckets late, but Pack and Brown needed to take 29 shots combined to reach that mark. Everything was a grind and nothing was efficient.

Up next

It’s McCasland time. Time for the students only game at McCasland Field House on Tuesday evening. This is the third straight season OU (1-1) will have one of these games and something Moser has loved trying to make happen. It’s also Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the second time in three seasons.

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