NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Freshman David Godbold scored 14 points in his first career start and Terrell Everett added 13 points and nine rebounds as Oklahoma used a stout defense to overcome a shortened bench and beat Coppin State 67-44 Wednesday night.
The Sooners (4-1), playing without three suspended players, held Coppin State scoreless for the first 4½ minutes of the second half, but were unable to significantly build on a 28-18 halftime lead. Kevin Bookout scored a basket inside and Godbold sank a 3-pointer, but when Coppin State's Darryl Proctor hit two free throws to end the drought, the Eagles (0-4) were still within 13.
It wasn't until the final 5 minutes that the Sooners started to pull away. Longar Longar's two-handed jam capped a 10-0 run that put Oklahoma ahead 59-35 with 4 minutes to play.
Kevin Bookout and Jaison Williams each scored 11 for Oklahoma, which shot 40 percent and held the Eagles to 34 percent shooting from the field. Proctor led Coppin State with 13 points.
Before the game, Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson suspended starting point guard Drew Lavender and guards Lawrence McKenzie and Brandon Foust for unspecified reasons.
The players, all sophomores, were in uniform and sat on the Sooners' bench during the game.
Oklahoma built a 28-18 halftime lead on the strength of a 20-11 advantage over the Golden Eagles. Bookout had five rebounds in the first half and scored eight points on 4-for-5 shooting before the break.
After an even start, Oklahoma pulled ahead with a 10-3 run that Longar capped with a two-handed jam to make it 23-13.
