BajaOklahoma
1/29/2006, 10:13 AM
UT falters at OU again, 82-72
Red-hot Sooners send Longhorns home with first Big 12 loss
12:02 AM CST on Sunday, January 29, 2006
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
NORMAN, Okla. – Fourth-ranked Texas swaggered into its personal haunted house Saturday night and once again stumbled out.
Michael Neal sank back-to-back 3-pointers, Terrell Everett banked in another, as did David Godbold, and No. 24 Oklahoma came away with an 82-72 victory.
OU started league play 0-2. But now, the Sooners (13-4, 4-2) are riding a four-game winning streak and suddenly have new life in the Big 12 title race. The Longhorns (17-3) fell to 5-1 in league play and dropped to 7-21 in games played at Lloyd Noble Center.
"I just believe in our program," said OU coach Kelvin Sampson, who praised the 12,908 fans for the electric atmosphere. "I told our guys today that these are the games we've always won."
OU's most maligned unit – its backcourt – played perhaps its best game of the season. Everett had a game-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Neal poured in 14 by hitting four of his eight 3-point shots. Godbold hustled for 11 points in 30 minutes.
The Sooners came into the game with the second-worst 3-point shooting percentage (.316) in the Big 12. They were 8-for-20 (.400) from 3-point range against the Longhorns, though.
Take that shooting and mix in Taj Gray's 22 points and Kevin Bookout's eight, and OU tallied the highest shooting percentage UT has allowed this season (.544).
OU trailed 48-47, when Neal got loose on the right wing and drained a 3-pointer. P.J. Tucker tied the score, 50-50, when he put back his own miss. But Neal, a smooth-shooting junior from Mesquite Poteet, answered with another 3-pointer on the wing.
Everett then fired what appeared to be an ill-advised shot on OU's next possession. But his 21-footer kissed off the glass and splashed through the twine, giving the Sooners a 56-50 lead.
"At the time, you just think that's a lucky shot," Everett said. "But the game wasn't really over until under a minute. We just had to keep our heads right and finish the game."
AP
Oklahoma center Taj Gray is fouled by UT's Kenton Paulino as he goes up for a shot in the second half. Neal and Everett's antics were part of an 18-5 run that pushed the Sooners' lead to 65-53. Godbold came up with a circus shot of his own when he banked in a 3-pointer with 2:20 remaining.
"Two or three of those shots were bank shots," Tucker said, "and one looked like a prayer and he made it. You've got to fight through that."
Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 of his 22 points by halftime, but foul trouble limited his aggressiveness in the second half. That put more pressure on UT's guards, who were 5-for-18 from 3-point range.
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Red-hot Sooners send Longhorns home with first Big 12 loss
12:02 AM CST on Sunday, January 29, 2006
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
NORMAN, Okla. – Fourth-ranked Texas swaggered into its personal haunted house Saturday night and once again stumbled out.
Michael Neal sank back-to-back 3-pointers, Terrell Everett banked in another, as did David Godbold, and No. 24 Oklahoma came away with an 82-72 victory.
OU started league play 0-2. But now, the Sooners (13-4, 4-2) are riding a four-game winning streak and suddenly have new life in the Big 12 title race. The Longhorns (17-3) fell to 5-1 in league play and dropped to 7-21 in games played at Lloyd Noble Center.
"I just believe in our program," said OU coach Kelvin Sampson, who praised the 12,908 fans for the electric atmosphere. "I told our guys today that these are the games we've always won."
OU's most maligned unit – its backcourt – played perhaps its best game of the season. Everett had a game-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Neal poured in 14 by hitting four of his eight 3-point shots. Godbold hustled for 11 points in 30 minutes.
The Sooners came into the game with the second-worst 3-point shooting percentage (.316) in the Big 12. They were 8-for-20 (.400) from 3-point range against the Longhorns, though.
Take that shooting and mix in Taj Gray's 22 points and Kevin Bookout's eight, and OU tallied the highest shooting percentage UT has allowed this season (.544).
OU trailed 48-47, when Neal got loose on the right wing and drained a 3-pointer. P.J. Tucker tied the score, 50-50, when he put back his own miss. But Neal, a smooth-shooting junior from Mesquite Poteet, answered with another 3-pointer on the wing.
Everett then fired what appeared to be an ill-advised shot on OU's next possession. But his 21-footer kissed off the glass and splashed through the twine, giving the Sooners a 56-50 lead.
"At the time, you just think that's a lucky shot," Everett said. "But the game wasn't really over until under a minute. We just had to keep our heads right and finish the game."
AP
Oklahoma center Taj Gray is fouled by UT's Kenton Paulino as he goes up for a shot in the second half. Neal and Everett's antics were part of an 18-5 run that pushed the Sooners' lead to 65-53. Godbold came up with a circus shot of his own when he banked in a 3-pointer with 2:20 remaining.
"Two or three of those shots were bank shots," Tucker said, "and one looked like a prayer and he made it. You've got to fight through that."
Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 of his 22 points by halftime, but foul trouble limited his aggressiveness in the second half. That put more pressure on UT's guards, who were 5-for-18 from 3-point range.
E-mail [email protected]