SW Texas State ./Oklahoma Oklahoma Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

McGhee scored a game-high 26 points to help lead Oklahoma to a 96-48 victory over Southwest Texas on Wednesday night. "Like a lot of our kids, Aaron came here with an offensive reputation -- he could score. Aaron averaged 30 points a game in junior college last season," coach Kelvin Sampson said.

"It doesn't say anywhere on the stat sheet or anything in his bio about how good he was defensively -- he wasn't. But he is learning to compete at this level. Aaron is a coachable kid and he has the ability to be a force at both ends."

The 6-foot-8 transfer from Vincennes (Ind.) University made his presence felt early on the defense end with a pair of blocked shots that led to consecutive baskets. That sequence, which included a 3-pointer from McGhee, sparked a decisive 27-3 run that turned a 6-5 Oklahoma lead into a 33-8 advantage.

J.R. Raymond was the main offensive force during that span as he hit three straight 3-pointers. Raymond played only 10 minutes of the opening half, but still managed to finish with 13 points as the Sooners built a 52-19 lead at the break. McGhee scored 19 of his 26 during the opening 20 minutes.

McGhee, meanwhile, got plenty of help on the defensive end as Oklahoma forced 31 turnovers, including 18 by halftime. Raymond, Nolan Johnson and Tim Heskett each had three steals.

"I think our defense is getting a lot better, seeing our development from November to now," Sampson said of the Sooners, who won their third straight game. "Our players are taking advantage of our resources. We are a very quick team and it showed tonight, especially on the defensive end."

The Sooners shot 55 percent (34-of-62), including 10-of-22 from 3-point range.

McGhee's first bucket gave the Sooners an 8-5 edge and his last stretched the lead to 59-19 with 18:55 remaining. That advantage eventually grew to as many as 53 points on two occasions.

"Before the game, I was a man on a mission. I wanted to play as hard as I possibly could," said McGhee, who entered the game as the Sooners' leading scorer at 16.1 points a game. "The blocked shots were one phase of my game I was impressed with tonight. That shows hard work."

Hollis Price chipped in with 10 points and four assists for Oklahoma, while Kelley Newton had 10 points and Daryan Selvy added nine points and six rebounds. Johnnie Gilbert, making his first appearance since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery 10 days ago, had nine rebounds.

Dain Ervin led Southwest Texas (4-5) with 10 points. The Bobcats shot only 40 percent (19-of-47) against the Sooners' man-to-man defense.

ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard

SW Texas State Clubhouse

Oklahoma Clubhouse