Postgame Notes

Feb. 28, 2001

Ranked 17th in both major polls, Oklahoma improved to 22-6 overall and 11-4 in the Big 12 with its 86-67 win against Colorado. The Buffaloes fell to 15-13 and 5-10. OU has now won 10 of its last 11 Big 12 games.

In his second game back as OU's starting point guard, Hollis Price scored 21 points tonight, his most since totaling 25 Jan. 6 in the conference opener at Iowa State. Price was 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point range. He also contributed a team-high three assists and two steals. The sophomore has led the team in assists in 22 of 28 games this year. Price started the season's first 16 games at point guard before being moved to the off-guard spot.

Senior Nolan Johnson finished the game with a career-high-tying 23 points and 11 rebounds (one shy of his career high). It marked the guard's second double-double and third 20-point performance of the year.

Kelley Newton entered the week ranked seventh nationally in three-point shooting (.462) and was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc tonight. He has made a team-high 65 treys this year (2.3 per game) and has made at least one three-pointer in 24 of 28 games. In his last two outings, both starts, Newton has gone a combined 8-for-17 from long range and averaged 13.0 points.

The Sooners improved to 12-1 at home this season. OU is now 87-16 (.845) in six-plus seasons under Sampson.

OU upped its record to 11-1 this season when scoring at least 80 points. The Sooners are 25-2 over the last two years and 86-10 under Sampson when reaching the 80-point mark.

Colorado's 21 turnovers were the most by an OU opponent since Texas A&M also committed 21 Jan. 9 in Norman.

Oklahoma's 53 second-half points were its second most in a half this year. The Sooners scored 59 points in the first half against North Texas Dec. 9.

The Sooners improved to 17-0 this year when outboarding their opponent. OU grabbed 38 rebounds tonight to Colorado's 31.

The Sooners recorded 14 steals tonight, their most since registering 17 Dec. 29 versus Oral Roberts.

Oklahoma concludes its regular season Saturday at home against Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN. It will mark the final home game for seniors Tim Heskett, Jameel Heywood, Nolan Johnson and Kelley Newton.

Postgame Quotes
Oklahoma vs. Colorado
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001
Norman, Okla. Lloyd Noble Center

Oklahoma Head Coach Kelvin Sampson

On adjustments in the second half:
"I think that when you don't have much depth, there's a tendency for you to pace yourself, and at halftime, I was encouraging our kids to run the ball more. I thought that we effectively attacked in the second half and were more aggressive, and that made all the difference."

On senior guard Nolan Johnson and sophomore guard Hollis Price:
"Nolan Johnson played outstanding basketball. He was the best player on the floor out there. He and Hollis Price both had great games. I thought we did a good job of keeping our players fresh. This was true especially for Hollis because he played so many minutes against Maryland on Saturday."

On OU's post game:
"I thought all four of our post players did a great job tonight. Jameel Heywood played real tough inside and it was nice to see Johnnie Gilbert make so many of his free throws. He's been really working on those lately. He's been shooting about 150 a day in practice."

On senior guard Tim Heskett:
"Tim Heskett didn't have his best night shooting the ball but I thought that he gave us a spark defensively off the bench."

On the upcoming game with Oklahoma State:
"OSU is an outstanding team. They have two of the best players in our conference. We have great respect for them and it's going to be a game. We're looking forward to having a great crowd in here on Saturday night."

Oklahoma Sophomore Guard Hollis Price

On the game:
"We pride ourselves in defense but, in the first half, it simply wasn't there. Letting Colorado shoot 50 percent in the first half was just unacceptable. However, in the second half, we really got after them. I thought one of things we did effectively tonight was running the fast break. We still need to improve on our number of turnovers."

Oklahoma Senior Guard Nolan Johnson

On the game:
"We really struggled in the first half. It seemed like nobody knew what to do on offense. But we knew we were better than that. We came out with an aggressive mindset in the second half and it showed. This was, by far, my best game ever at the Lloyd Noble Center. From rebounding to stealing to scoring, I felt like I had the total package tonight. I think a lot of people this week doubted us because we didn't have J.R. (Raymond), but one person does not make a team."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Oklahoma Head Coach Kelvin Sampson

Oklahoma Sophomore Guard Hollis Price

Oklahoma Senior Guard Nolan Johnson

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors