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Oklahoma Blows out Morgan State Despite Being Without Top Star

Caya Smith made her first career start and Keziah Lofton took a bigger role in the No. 21 Sooners' win.

Oklahoma guard Keziah Lofton, shown in the NCAA Tournament against Idaho last season, was the Sooners primary ball handler in Sunday's win over Morgan State with Aaliyah Chavez out due to illness. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Without its top player, No. 21 Oklahoma still had no problems dispatching of Morgan State on Sunday, beating the Bears 95-38 at Lloyd Noble Center in their home opener.

The Sooners led from wire to wire, steadily pulling away through the game.

The game was the first of six consecutive home games for Oklahoma.

The Sooners (2-0) resume their season at 6 p.m. Tuesday against San Jose State at Lloyd Noble Center.

Here are three takeaways from the Sooners' win:

LeeLee Bell Comes up Big Again

Highly touted freshman LeeLee Bell made an emphatic collegiate debut in Monday's 91-79 win over North Carolina, with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Bell wasn't overly efficient in Sunday's victory, going 6 of 15 from the field, but still finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals.

The Minot, N.D., native was particularly effective in the first quarter, when she scored 11 of Oklahoma's 28 points, going 5 of 7 from the field.

Sa'Myah Smith added 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while Sina Hollerl scored 13 on 5-of-8 shooting.

Aaliyah Chavez Misses Game

Aaliyah Chavez started all 34 games as a freshman last season but Chavez was dressed in street clothes on the bench for the Sooners on Sunday.

She missed the game due to an illness, forcing a shift in responsibilities for Oklahoma's top group.

With the starting point guard out of the lineup, Keziah Lofton took over the primary ballhandler responsibilities.

That would've been an ideal place for Keeley Parks to step in, but Parks suffered a season-ending injury shortly before the season opener.

The versatility of forwards Sahara Williams and Brooklyn Stewart allowed Jennie Baranczyk to slide 6-foot-1 junior forward Caya Smith into the starting lineup.

It was Smith's first career start. She finished with four points, five rebounds and four assists.

Lofton finished with eight points and a game-high seven assists.

Sooners Take Over Late in First

Just past the midway point of the first quarter, Oklahoma led by just one.

Both teams were strong from the floor early, with the Bears make 4 of 8 to that point.

But the Sooners heated up, while Morgan State went ice cold.

The Bears attempted just three shots the rest of the quarter after hitting one to cut the deficit to 12-11.

Oklahoma went 7 of 10 the rest of the first for a 16-0 run to take control.

Nine of those points came off Bears' turnovers and Oklahoma ultimately finished with 31 points off turnovers.

Morgan State's offensive woes continued, as the Bears missed their first nine shots of the second quarter.

The Bears finished just 12 of 51 (23.5%) from the floor while the Sooners shot 51.5%.

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