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Oct. 20, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- Lon Kruger's Oklahoma men's basketball team held its first intrasquad scrimmage Saturday afternoon in front of a large McCasland Field House crowd.

Playing three 10-minute quarters and a five-minute fourth period, the White Team posted a 67-56 win over the Red Team. Most players saw action for both squads.

Senior forward Romero Osby led the way with 24 points on 8-for-12 field goal and 8-for-10 free throw shooting, and added eight rebounds.

Freshman Buddy Hield, junior Cameron Clark and freshman Isaiah Cousins also scored in double figures, tallying 16, 13 and 10 points, respectively. Hield added five boards and a game-high four assists, Clark pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and Cousins added a pair of assists.

"Pretty typical first scrimmage," said Kruger, who is starting his second season with the Sooners. "A lot of good things, a lot of things we need to work on. It was good to see the guys get out in front of people and do things, try to transfer from practice to a game-like situation. It was a good reminder that we have to improve our habits, improve a lot of things. I'm still excited about this group a lot."

Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery | Field House Series Information

The teams combined to shoot .435 from the field, .286 from 3-point land (8-for-28) and .750 from the foul line (21-for-28). They committed just 18 turnovers combined.

"We've been doing (well) in practice, but sometimes you get in front of people and get the jitterbugs and do stuff that is uncharacteristic of yourself," said Osby, who is the Big 12's leading returning rebounder from last year. "We are only a week into practice. I think we will get a lot better."

Said Hield, "My performance was OK; it can be better. I did what Coach wanted me to do -- come in and play defense and score a little bit."

The Sooners will play two games against outside competition this season at McCasland Field House as part of the inaugural Field House Series. OU will take on Central Oklahoma Nov. 7 in an exhibition game (tickets are $5) and will play a New Year's Eve afternoon game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Notable Stats Totals

Romero Osby: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 8-12 FGs, 8-10 FTs
Buddy Hield: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-12 FGs, 4-5 FTs
Cameron Clark: 13 points, 11 rebounds
Isaiah Cousins: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-3 3FGs
Tyler Neal: 9 points, 4 rebounds
Ryan Spangler: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-6 FGs
Steven Pledger: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2-5 3FGs
Sam Grooms: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Je'lon Hornbeak: 7 points, 2-2 3FGs
Casey Arent: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3-5 FGs
Amath M'Baye: 6 points, 6 rebounds
Andrew Fitzgerald: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
C.J. Cole: 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
D.J. Bennett: 2 rebounds
James Fraschilla: 2 assists

Additional Quotes

Head Coach Lon Kruger
On the good he saw in the scrimmage:
"A lot of guys made plays, pushed the ball in transition. Some good plays on the boards, good rebounds and quick outlets. Things we like seeing, but you expect to see both good and bad in a scrimmage."
 
On Buddy Hield:
"Buddy is a good scorer. That's his strength. He is a guy who can attack the paint. He can shoot the 3 a little bit. A lot of speed, good in transition; Buddy can make a lot of plays."
 
On Romero Osby:
"Last year I thought he finished great. The spring, summer and fall he was terrific. His work ethic, his leadership, he will have a really good season."
 
Senior Forward Romero Osby
On team's new guys:
"I really love those guys. They work hard. Amath (M'Baye) and (Ryan) Spangler are a lot like me because they sat out a year. So we kind of hang out together because we know what to expect. I'm just trying to bring them along. Amath is really going to help us, and when Spangler is allowed to play, he will be a beast for three years. I'm just trying to help everybody on the team. I think come February, we are going to have a whole new team because those freshmen are going to be sophomores and Amath is going to be like a veteran."
 
Senior Guard Steven Pledger
On if the team will be playing faster than last season:
"A lot faster. We've got more bodies. That means I can exert myself a little bit more, not having to save myself. We can be a lot faster. You have to be able to stay under control. Our point guards, they're good. Sam (Grooms) is careful. He's not going to overdo it.  You've got Isaiah (Cousins) and Je'lon (Hornbreak), who are picking it up nicely." 
 
On what the team got out of the scrimmage:
"Just to see if we could transfer practice to a game situation type thing. That's basically what we were trying to do. We have another one next week, so we can see how much better everybody else is."

Senior Forward Andrew Fitzgerald
On the scrimmage:
"It felt really good to get back out there. We work really hard and we just want to show our hard work to our fans this year and build a bigger fan base. Just build a foundation and go from there."

On how far away Nov. 11 feels:
"It's not that far. It's going to fly by and it's going to be here really fast. We have to be ready for it. We get back to practice on Monday so we have to keep working hard."

On playing games in McCasland Field House:
"I feel like it's going to be a great experience for us. I don't remember the last time we ahd a game here. It will be a great experience and atmosphere, so I am looking forward to it."

Freshman Guard Buddy Hield
On Lon Kruger's direction for the newcomers:
"He has been telling us to go hard and play hard. To run the plays and just execute them."

On how he felt the scrimmage went:
"Today went OK. Today was the first time for everyone playing in front of a lot of fans. We had a lot of mistakes that we need to improve on to get better."