Norman, Oklahoma: Sooners Launch Record 43 Threes, Beat North Alabama 81-72

Oklahoma set a program record for three point attempts on Monday night and needed almost all of the cushion they built with them, beating North Alabama 81-72 at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.

The Sooners (2-1) launched 43 shots from beyond the arc, breaking the program record of 40 they had tied three nights earlier in a win over Mississippi Valley State. Oklahoma made 13 of them, a 30.2 percent rate, and only 15 of its 58 field goal attempts came from inside the arc.

Xzayvier Brown led Oklahoma with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists, and he turned the ball over once. B.J. Edwards scored 17 points and Pop Isaacs added 13, and the three guards combined for 49 points. Derrion Reid scored 10, including seven during the run that decided the game.

The run that settled it

Oklahoma took a 37-36 lead into halftime, then gave it up on North Alabama's first possession of the second half, when Mike Evbagharu scored on a driving layup. The Sooners answered with 17 straight points. Brown scored on two layups in the run, Isaacs hit a three and set up Reid for another, and Oklahoma's biggest lead to that point reached 54-38.

North Alabama later trimmed a 19 point deficit to nine in the final minute, but the Lions never made a serious challenge for the lead after the run.

A first half of long shots

The record pace started early. Oklahoma fell behind by 10 points seven minutes in, then tied the game at 25 on back to back baskets by Evbagharu for the Lions during a stretch when the Sooners went 1 for 11. Oklahoma went more than 10 minutes without a shot inside the arc before Duke Brennan scored on a layup with 5:01 left in the half. The Sooners committed one turnover in the first half and six for the game, and they outscored North Alabama 19-5 on fast break points.

Coach Porter Moser said the three guard group of Brown, Edwards and Isaacs forces defenses to spread out. "They got to guard us," Moser said. "They got to guard us with three guards like that." He also warned that his team settled for long shots on two late possessions when it held the double bonus and should have driven to the rim.

Evbagharu's career night

Evbagharu, a senior, finished with a career high 27 points for North Alabama (2-1). He made 10 of 11 shots from the floor, all eight of his attempts inside the arc, and passed his previous career high of 23. He also had a game high eight rebounds. Quan Lax added 14 points in 14 minutes before foul trouble limited him, and Jacobe Whitted scored 13.

One odd detail followed the teams onto the court. Oklahoma, the home team, wore its road crimson uniforms because North Alabama has not yet received its road jerseys.