Oklahoma Shakes Off Rust, Pulls Away from North Alabama for Second Win

NORMAN — The first 20 minutes of Monday’s game against North Alabama looked eerily similar to the Sooners’ season opener against East Texas A&M.

Oklahoma allowed an inferior opponent to stay in the game, and as a result, the halftime margin was only one point.

The Sooners, though, left no doubt in the second half. They beat the Lions 81-72 after outscoring the visitors 44-36 over the final 20 minutes.

OU improved to 2-1 with the win, while UNA dropped to 2-1 after winning its first two games.

Here are three takeaways from Monday’s game:

Big run to open second half

North Alabama took the lead just 20 seconds into the second half. But after that, the Sooners delivered the punch that allowed them to…