No. 4 Oklahoma Falls To No. 16 Oklahoma St. In OT, 79-72

Feb 13, 2002

Postgame Press Conference Audio

By OWEN CANFIELD
AP Sports Writer

STILLWATER, Okla. - Fourth-ranked Oklahoma brought out the best in struggling Oklahoma State.

The 16th-ranked Cowboys, who came in having lost five of eight, got a career-high 22 points from Ivan McFarlin and a double-double from Melvin Sanders to beat the Sooners 79-72 in overtime Wednesday night.

McFarlin scored three straight baskets and had eight points in the overtime, helping Oklahoma State (19-6, 6-5 Big 12) survive without leading scorer Maurice Baker, who missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle.

"We needed to win it bad," said Sanders, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds. "We had our backs against the ropes, to tell the truth - 18-6, we didn't have our star player. Probably nobody thought we could win, but this is going to help us out a lot."

Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said he never doubted the Cowboys would give his team all it could handle, even though Oklahoma State had looked ugly in losing at Fresno State on Sunday without Baker.

"Basketball is a game of today," Sampson said. "That was last Sunday. Today, they were good and that was a tough team out there tonight."

Oklahoma (19-4, 8-3) got 27 points and 11 rebounds from Aaron McGhee, but scored only one basket in the final 1:30 of overtime.

McFarlin scored consecutive inside baskets on assists from Victor Williams to give Oklahoma State a 69-67 lead with 2:18 left. McFarlin then stole a pass took it the other way for a dunk and a four-point lead at the 1:57 mark.

"You have to make big plays and have to make defensive plays in order to make a big gap in the game," McFarlin said. "Fortunately that steal, it made a big presence on the scoreboard."

After McGhee scored on a follow shot with 1:39 remaining, Williams scored on a leaner in the lane. Then the Cowboys, who were just 4-of-12 from the foul line in the first half, made six straight from the line to seal the victory.

Fredrik Jonzen, who made four of those free throws, had 19 points for the Cowboys. Williams had 13 points and six assists.

Jason Detrick had 15 points for Oklahoma.

Sampson said he felt the game turned early in the second half, when the Cowboys scored the first nine points to take a 33-31 lead. Sanders started the run with a 3-pointer and a dunk off a steal.

"I thought the key to this basketball game, no matter how you slice and dice it, was the first five minutes of the second half," Sampson said. "We have a seven-point lead, and they come out and really take it to us."

The teams traded the lead seven times after that before the Cowboys scored eight points, including fastbreak baskets by Williams and Sanders, to take a 56-51 lead with 3:37 remaining.

Hollis Price, who finished with 10 points, then made four free throws in a 6-2 Oklahoma run that got the Sooners within 58-57 with 2:32 to play. A free throw by Williams and a shot in close by McFarlin pushed the lead back to four with 1:27 left, but McGhee and Detrick each made two free throws in the final minute to tie it at 61.

An Oklahoma State turnover gave Oklahoma a chance to win the game in regulation, but Quannas White's jumper from the left wing missed.

Oklahoma State, which committed 25 turnovers against Fresno State, had just eight Wednesday.

"It's always a big win over Oklahoma," coach Eddie Sutton said. "But when you're playing the fourth-best team in the country and you're staggering like we've been staggering, then it's extra special."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

No. 4 Oklahoma Falls To No. 16 Oklahoma St. In OT, 79-72

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