Texas and Big 12 Basketball Capsules: Texas Tech survives scare, posts 72-71 victory
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma’s first No. 1 NBA draft pick was back in the Lloyd Noble Center and even joked with the crowd that he was relishing a weekend upset over rival Texas.
Then John Roberson and Texas Tech came in and spoiled it all.
Roberson scored 22 points and Mike Singletary made enough plays down the stretch to help the Red Raiders hold off a second-half rally for a 72-71 victory Tuesday night, snapping the Sooners’ 31-game home winning streak against unranked opponents.
Texas Tech (16-7, 4-5 Big 12) built a 12-point lead early in the second half and was able to stave off a series of comebacks to break a six-game losing streak and sweep the season series from the Sooners.
"They play well at home, and you knew they were going to come at you," Tech coach Pat Knight said. "I’m just glad, for our kids’ sake. I didn’t want those errors at the end to cost us the game because they’d worked too hard."
The Red Raiders didn’t score after Singletary’s layup off a Roberson lob made it 72-67 with 2:28 left, but that proved to be just enough cushion.
Willie Warren and Tommy Mason-Griffin each missed potential game-winning 3-pointers in the final 5 seconds as Oklahoma (13-10, 4-5) absorbed a disheartening blow to its postseason hopes.
"I thought they played with more energy and just better than us throughout the game. I thought we made a good run, played with some energy the last 6 minutes and just could not get over the hump," Sooners coach Jeff Capel said. "We had a couple of really good opportunities."
Former Oklahoma star Blake Griffin, the No. 1 pick in last year’s NBA draft, returned to Norman for the first time this season and was presented with the NCAA Sportsmanship Award during a halftime ceremony. He finished his comments by saying he was even more proud of his school for beating then-No. 9 Texas.
He sat courtside and stood up several times as the Sooners mounted one charge after another, only to have their 12-game home winning streak snapped. The run started with their final regular season home game last year.
"It’s very tough, not just because Blake was in the house or not just because it was a home game," Warren said. "It’s just tough to lose period."
Warren had 18 points while playing his most significant minutes since missing two games with a sprained ankle, and Tony Crocker added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma.
The Sooners played without suspended freshmen Steven Pledger and Andrew Fitzgerald, who were cited for petty larceny on Saturday after the team’s 80-71 win against the Longhorns. Capel pinpointed that moment as when Oklahoma lost its momentum from the upset.
"It is what it is. No excuse for us," Capel said. "We put ourself in that situation, so it is what it is."
Darko Cohadarevic added 12 points for Tech, and Singletary scored 10 — including eight of the Red Raiders’ 10 points in the final 6:06.
The Sooners, who went 9 for 16 from 3-point range to build a commanding first-half lead in the win against Texas, were off the mark against a Tech defense allowing a league-high 74.6 points per game. Oklahoma, which is first in the Big 12 in 3-point attempts but is shooting only 35 percent from long range, hit just three of its first 17 shots from behind the arc.
"We were really concentrating on not letting them get threes," Knight said. "We gave up some drives because we thought we’d be better off giving up twos instead of threes. We studied their last game against Texas, and (Cade) Davis got going and everyone got going. We just didn’t want that to happen.
"If you’re going to win on the road, you’ve got to eliminate the three-point shot, I think, because teams can really get going."
When the shots finally started falling, Oklahoma cut into a Tech advantage that grew from eight at halftime to 49-37 after Roberson hit both free throws following Capel’s technical foul early in the second half. Davis followed a series of baskets inside by reserve Tiny Gallon to get the Sooners within 53-48, but the Red Raiders scored the next seven points to restore their lead.
Singletary staved off the next rally by hitting a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to extend a five-point lead back to 67-57. But the Sooners kept coming.
Gallon followed Mason-Griffin’s four point play with a right-handed jam to get Oklahoma within four, and Mason-Griffin’s driving layup made it 72-69 with 2:12 to play. Crocker missed a potential tying 3-pointer before stealing the ball and hitting two free throws to make it a one-point game with 55.6 seconds left.
Roberson lost the ball out of bounds with 21.5 seconds left to give Oklahoma one last chance at the win, but Warren was off target from the left wing and Mason-Griffin’s contested shot from the right side caromed off the rim.
Oklahoma ended up 6 for 26 from 3-point range.
"Too many threes," Capel said. "One of the things we talked about for two days with our guys is the fact that teams know that we’re a three-point shooting team. ... I thought we settled entirely too much tonight for threes, especially when they weren’t going in. It’s a little bit different, like in the Texas game, when you’re making them."
The Sooners, who are only 1-5 on the road this season, now start a two-game road trip hoping to salvage their season.
"It’s going to be very big, especially if we want to make a run and be an NCAA Tournament team," Warren said. "We believe that we still have hope."
Houston holds off Western Kentucky 74-72
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Kelvin Lewis converted two free throws after a technical foul with 0.2 seconds remaining, lifting Houston over Western Kentucky 74-72 on Tuesday night.
The game was tied at 72 in the closing seconds when Houston’s Aubrey Coleman missed what would have been the go-ahead jumper. But Adam Brown got the rebound for Houston and was fouled by Western Kentucky’s Sergio Kerusch with less than a second remaining.
Western Kentucky coach Ken McDonald was called for a technical foul, and Lewis made both technical foul shots. Brown then stepped to the line for Houston and missed the front end of his 1-and-1, and Western Kentucky couldn’t get the final shot off.
Coleman, who came into the game as the nation’s leading scorer, had 29 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars (12-11) and went 13-for-27 from the field. Maurice McNeil had 12 off the bench while Lewis finished with 11 for Houston.
Kerusch scored 19 points off the bench for the Hilltoppers (13-12). Steffphon Pettigrew finished with 18 points while A.J. Slaughter had 17 and a game-high six assists for the Hilltoppers.
Houston shot 43.3 percent (29-for-67) from the floor while Western Kentucky shot 43.8 percent (28-for-64). Both teams finished 13-for-17 at the free throw line (76.5 percent) and made just three 3-pointers each.
There were 13 ties and nine lead changes.
Big 12 Women
Huskers join Huskies in basketball elite
LINCOLN, Neb. — Huskies, make room for the Huskers.
It could be argued that top-ranked Connecticut, with its 62 straight victories and 30-point winning margins, is so dominant that a wire-to-wire run to a second straight national title is a done deal.
A more intriguing feel-good story is taking place on the Plains, where a Nebraska program with an undistinguished history is running the table, not to mention running over everybody, in the nation’s strongest conference.
Cornhuskers coach Connie Yori and her players will tell you that they didn’t expect to be 21-0 in February. They’ll also tell you that they’ve been quietly building for a breakthrough year and came into the season believing they could win the Big 12.
"Everywhere I go, people ask me, ‘Have you seen Nebraska? Are they that good?"’ national TV and radio analyst Debbie Antonelli said. "They can do everything — beat you off the bounce, shoot the 3, they have size, they create space and they defend. Yeah, they’re good."
How good?
"Nebraska is one of those teams that I really want to see play Connecticut," Antonelli said. "I want to see what they would be capable of doing with Connecticut and if they could take away a piece of something Connecticut does. No one can right now."
Gail Goestenkors’ Texas team has lost to both UConn and Nebraska. She said she wouldn’t bet against the Huskers in a matchup.
"They have the pieces you need to be really competitive with Connecticut," she said.
The Huskers have never advanced past the second round in eight NCAA tournament appearances, and they haven’t won a conference title since taking the Big Eight in 1988. Last year’s team, without injured star Kelsey Griffin, went 15-16, and it was no wonder Big 12 coaches picked the Huskers sixth in the preseason poll.
The Huskers didn’t crack the Top 25 until after their eighth win, and they were 16-0 when they finally broke into the Top 10.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said he hasn’t seen Nebraska play and only recently took notice of the Huskers after his top assistant, Chris Dailey, gushed about them after seeing them on television.
"They certainly play in a terrific league, and for them to be doing what they’re doing — I don’t care who you are, where you play — if you’re able to run off the number of wins they’ve been able to run off, that’s unbelievably impressive," Auriemma said.
Yori and her players routinely sidestep questions about their dominance, talking instead about hard work in practice and trotting out the old one-game-at-a-time mantra.
Whatever they’re doing is working: The Huskers go into Wednesday’s game at Kansas following surprisingly easy wins of 88-67 over then-No. 10 Oklahoma State and 71-60 over then-No. 12 Texas A&M.
Griffin, averaging 19.4 points and 9.9 rebounds, is well on her way to becoming only the second All-American in program history. But her supporting cast grew and improved from having to play last season without her. Opponents who devote too many defensive resources to Griffin do so at their peril.
Cory Montgomery plays in Griffin’s shadow in the frontcourt, yet she’s the second-leading scorer at 13 points a game and is a dangerous perimeter shooter. Yvonne Turner has gone from being a defensive specialist to a capable scorer and one of the Big 12’s top 3-point threats.
Dominique Kelley also can shoot the jumper, but she’s best at penetrating and getting to the free-throw line. Freshman point guard Lindsey Moore is a rising star with her 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and her ability to hit the timely 3-pointer.
The Huskers’ full-court defense is holding opponents to 55 points and 37 percent shooting each game.
"We’ve won in a lot of different ways this year," Yori said. "This is the best-coached league in the country. Everybody is going to try to take away things you can do. The fortunate thing is we’ve got some pretty good versatility and we can win in other ways."
The Huskers have five wins over Top 25 teams, including three that were in the Top 10 at the time they played. They have 18 wins by double digits, including 10 by 20 points or more.
Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said the Huskers remind him of the upstart 1991 UConn team that became the Huskies’ first to reach the Final Four. All-American Kerry Bascom led that team much the way Griffin leads the 2010 Huskers.
"You don’t have a lot of McDonald’s All-Americans," Blair said. "You have kids who eat at Burger King who know how to play ball. When you don’t have some of those All-Americans, you don’t have to worry about egos. Everybody is happy."
Before this season, Nebraska had never won more than nine in a row. On Jan. 12, after Nebraska beat then-No. 19 Texas 91-79, Yori said: "We know we’re not going to win every game, but at the same time, we’re going to try to win every game."
Here it is, almost a month later, and the Huskers — like Connecticut — have yet to lose.
"We have eight remaining Big 12 games in the regular season and the Big 12 tournament and the postseason. So we have a long season ahead of us," Yori said. "We have to keep plugging away and getting better. I do know that it is a special group. The term ‘being proud’ is overused in athletics, but it’s hard not to be proud of these guys."
-- Eric Olson
No. 20 Iowa State surges to 2nd in Big 12
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly has built one of the most stable programs in the Big 12.
The Cyclones have reached a pair of regional finals and developed one of the nation’s strongest fan bases under his watch, which is why the school gave Fennelly what amounts to a lifetime contract a few years back.
That’s also why Fennelly would have gotten a pass if the Cyclones took a step back this season. Iowa State lost three senior starters from last year’s 27-9 squad and was picked to finish seventh in the brutal Big 12.
As it turned out, Iowa State (18-4, 6-3) skipped the rebuilding and went straight to reloading.
Led by veterans Alison Lacey and Kelsey Bolte and bolstered by a stellar freshman class, the 20th-ranked Cyclones have surged into a three-way tie for second place in the Big 12 — which boasts seven teams in this week’s Top 25 — and look like a safe bet for another NCAA tournament berth.
Save for undefeated and third-ranked Nebraska, Iowa State has been the surprise of the Big 12. The Cyclones have won six of their last seven heading into Saturday’s home date with No. 11 Baylor.
"I’m probably, where we are, surprised a little bit. But I sure hope we can continue to get better," Fennelly said.
The biggest reason for the strong start has been Lacey’s vastly improved play and leadership — a must after Iowa State lost star guard Heather Ezell to graduation.
Lacey, a senior from Canberra, Australia, has embraced her expanded role and developed into one of the nation’s best players. She ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 17.6 points per game — six points more than she averaged a year ago — and is second in the league with 6.6 assists. She’s also first in free-throw percentage at 88.8 percent, and her assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.2-1 is easily the Big 12’s best.
Fennelly said Lacey turned down a chance to play for Australia in the World University Games to stay in Ames last summer and work with the Cyclones’ newcomers.
"She has done a great job every day in practice and in the games of trying to get them in the right spots and understanding that if she can just get them to do some little things to help, she’s good enough to do a lot of the heavy lifting," Fennelly said. "Everyone came in, knew who the leader was, knew whose team it was, and her high level of play has elevated everyone around her."
Bolte, a junior guard from Ida Grove, Iowa, has upped her scoring average to 12.2 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from 3-point range — a major reason why the Cyclones have become the league’s best beyond the arc.
Replacing post players Nicky Wieben and Amanda Nisleit also figured to be a major challenge for Iowa State. But the freshman frontcourt trio of Anna Prins, Chelsea Poppens and Amanda Zimmerman have adjusted to the rigorous Big 12.
Prins, the 6-foot-7 standout from Broomfield, Colo., is averaging 8.9 points per game and leads the Cyclones with 20 blocks. Poppens, a 6-foot-2 forward, is right behind her with 8.5 points an outing along with nearly six rebounds, and Zimmerman is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor.
A key for the Cyclones down the stretch will be whether Prins, Poppens and Zimmerman can avoid hitting the freshman wall.
"For them to be on a team that’s 18-4 and tied for second place in our league says that they’re doing some positive things," Fennelly said of his young post players. "Hopefully they have enough left in the tank to really finish strong."
-- Luke Meredith
Big 12 Men
Two Sooners freshmen sit out vs. Texas Tech
NORMAN, Okla. — The two Oklahoma freshmen who were cited for petty larceny over the weekend have been suspended from the basketball team.
Guard Stephen Pledger and forward Andrew Fitzgerald were not in uniform for the Sooners’ game against Texas Tech on Tuesday night. Both were on the bench for the Big 12 game.
The two were ticketed Saturday night by a Dillard’s security guard who allegedly spotted them tucking shirts into a blue, plastic bag. The Sooners had beaten then-No. 9 Texas earlier in the day.
Pledger is averaging 6.5 points as Oklahoma’s top reserve this season. Fitzgerald is averaging 3.7 points and had started five of the last 10 games.
