Oklahoma center Kur Kuath said Wednesday’s loss was a wake-up call for the Sooners, and they did a good job responding in a positive way Saturday.

OU was able to lock it down defensively and an all-around offensive outing led to the Sooners cruising to an 85-54 win against visiting Florida A&M.

In the defeat at Xavier, the Musketeers hit a school-record 19 3-pointers against OU. Some of it was a streaky night, but some of it was lack of effort defensively. That was not the case against the Rattlers, as OU limited to Florida A&M to 31 percent shooting from the field.

“Very important because it really takes defense to win games,” Kuath said. “We had to put our foot down and guard. Last game was like a lesson for us, knowing we still have a lot to work on. Was a good starting point for us because it gave us a good reality check. Really helped us to see how hard teams come to play and how ready you have to be for any team. It was good to learn.”

Defense led to offense, and in a game where OU was expected to win easily, Lon Kruger’s group was able to do just that.

It was the seniors leading the way again, Kuath and Austin Reaves. Kuath had 14 points and eight rebounds, while Reaves had 12 points and eight assists.

“They do have a good feel for each other. They’ve played a lot of basketball together over the last couple of years,” Kruger said. “Kur is a really good ball screen guy who can roll to the bucket. Austin is a good passer. Those guys like looking for each other there.”

Notes

*OU’s three other starters (Brady Manek, Alondes Williams and De’Vion Harmon) each had 10 points. Manek hit two more 3-pointers, surpassing the 200 mark for his career.

“Brady has been terrific,” Kruger said. “When you think back as a freshman, he came in as a really good shooter. As a sophomore, he expanded on that and did some other things in addition to shooting. Each year, he’s gotten better and better. He’s continued to do that even now through his senior year. He’s been fantastic. He’s just a premier shooter that is starting to do other things well too. I’m happy for Brady and not surprised that he added to that number.”

*After not scoring Wednesday and being blanked in the first half, Umoja Gibson found his stroke a bit in the second half, making three 3-pointers.

“It was great to see that for Moj. He’s continued to work hard,” Kruger said. “He’s continued to have a great attitude. We know he’s going to make shots. He got a couple in good rhythm tonight. It was really good to see and I’m really happy for him.”

*Up next: OU hosts Oral Roberts on Wednesday night, in a game that was scheduled less than two weeks ago.