Sooners Down Gophers for Third Place

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Oklahoma men's basketball team wrapped up third place in the Great Alaska Shootout with a 67-54 win over Minnesota on Saturday. Kevin Bookout and Terrell Everett shared high scoring honors for the Sooners with 13 points apiece.

Bookout and Longar Longar grabbed six rebounds each while Everett added four boards, three assists and two steals. Drew Lavender contributed 12 points and a team-high four assists as OU improved to 3-1. Minnesota dropped to 2-2.

The Sooners struggled the first 15 minutes of the game and were plagued by turnovers. OU committed 11 offensive miscues in the first half and trailed 24-23 with four minutes to go. An 8-2 run to finish the half, however, gave Kelvin Sampson's team momentum and a 31-26 intermission lead.

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A 15-3 outburst to start the second half was fueled by torrid shooting and stellar defense. Oklahoma went up 46-29 and later extended its lead to as many as 24 (63-39) with 6:31 remaining.

"The last five minutes of the first half and the first 15 of the second half," began head coach Kelvin Sampson, "that's the best we've played all year. It might be the best we've played the last two years."

The Sooners, who shot .529 from the field, have eclipsed the .500 figure in each of their four games this year. OU shot .500 or better from the floor just three times all of last season.

Oklahoma was solid from 3-point territory against the Gophers as well, making six on 13 attempts (.462). OU did not, however, shoot well from the free throw line. It was just 7-for-15 (.467).

One of many bright spots for the Sooners, Longar played 19 minutes -- by far his most of the season -- and contributed two points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. He sparked OU late in the first half and early in the second.

Said Sampson, "If this was football and we were giving out gameballs, I'd give one to Longar."

Bookout, who was 6-for-9 from the field against Minnesota, finished the tournament shooting .724 (21-for-29).

"This trip made us grow up," said Bookout. "We were exposed defensively against Washington and then came back today and held Minnesota to 35 points the first 32 or 33 minutes. It shows how good our defense can be if we just stick our nose down and play hard for the duration of the shot clock."

Minnesota, which took No. 19 Alabama to the wire in a 78-72 semifinals game Friday, was led in scoring Saturday by junior Vincent Grier. The junior college transfer guard/forward tallied 18 points.

Oklahoma departs Anchorage early Sunday morning and plays again Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Coppin State.