Oklahoma Guard Nijel Pack Shines From Deep in Win Over Arkansas-Pine Bluff

In the Sooners' annual game at McCasland Field House, OU's transfer guard stood out as a long-range threat.

Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack | Carson Field, Sooners On S

NORMAN — Oklahoma played its annual students-only game at McCasland Field House on Tuesday, and the Sooners put on a show for their student body.

On a night when current Sooners filled every corner of the field house donning white “Boom Squad” T-shirts, Oklahoma took down Arkansas-Pine Bluff 95-69.

The Sooners (2-1) got back over .500 after they lost their previous outing at No. 21 Gonzaga on Saturday.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game:

Pack Shines From Deep

Transfer guard Nijel Pack flaunted his 3-point shooting abilities in the Sooners’ win.

Pack, who previously played at Miami and Kansas State, made 5-of-7 attempts from 3-point range and finished with 15 points, tied for second on the team behind only guard Xzayvier Brown, who scored 19.

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In addition to his 15 points and five 3s, Pack logged three rebounds and three assists in his 23 minutes on the court.

Pack has finished in double figures in each of his first three games at OU. He notched 16 points in the Sooners’ season opener against Saint Francis before logging 18 against No. 21 Gonzaga on Saturday.

"Nijel is just an elite shot maker, really good," OU coach Porter Moser said.

Stronger Second Half

The Sooners held a comfortable 12-point lead and were able to steadily extend their advantage thanks to an efficient final 20 minutes of play. OU outscored UAPB 53-38 in the second half.

After OU shot 43.2 percent from the floor in the first half, the Sooners posted a 56.7 percent clip from the field in the second half. Oklahoma also went 42.9 percent on 3-pointers in the second half, three of which came from sophomore guard Dayton Forsythe.

The strong second half resembled how the Sooners performed in their 102-66 season-opening win against Saint Francis. In that contest, OU outscored the Red Flash 57-22 in the second half.

Balanced Scoring Effort

Oklahoma showcased its depth in the win.

Eight of the 10 Sooners who entered the game scored at least five points, and nine different OU players scored against the Golden Lions. Seven Sooners scored two or more field goals.

With several newcomers on the roster between freshmen and transfers, OU is still looking to find an identity. Having the chance to play the majority of the roster against UAPB gives Moser more film to watch to see which players work best in certain situations.

"Just keep getting better; we got some guys some minutes tonight," Moser said.