Oklahoma Cruises Past Baylor, 82-52

WACO, Texas (AP) - With Michael Neal and Terrell Everett making shots from the outside, Oklahoma didn't need any points early from its inside men.

Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout did their part by pushing Baylor players out of the way, giving Neal and Everett plenty of open shots to put the 24th-ranked Sooners ahead to stay.

Neal and Everett combined for 23 points in the first half, including all 11 for the Sooners in the 2 1/2-minute spurt that put them in front for good in an 82-52 victory Wednesday night.

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``They were coming off a lot of screens. ... We got confused and left them with open shots,'' Baylor forward Patrick Fields said. ``Leave anybody open, they'll hit.''

The Sooners (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) have won three straight since losing their first two conference games. Baylor (0-5, 0-5) has lost its games by an average of 23 points after being banned from non-conference games by the NCAA this season.

``Confidence comes through in your swagger,'' Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. ``Our program has always had a swagger, regardless of where we play. This team is just now starting to get it.''

Oklahoma won its 23rd straight against the Bears, the last 21 under Sampson.

Baylor's last win in the series was in December 1977 when Dave Bliss was the Sooners' coach. Bliss coached at Baylor from 1999-2003, and there were numerous violations during that time that led to the NCAA penalties.

After scoring just three points before halftime, Gray matched Everett with a game-high 16 points. Neal had four 3-pointers before halftime and finished with 15 points. Bookout scored 11 even with a partial cast on his wrist from a hard fall Saturday against Texas Tech.

Fields had 14 points and Aaron Bruce added 10 for the Bears, who have lost 19 straight games. That's the longest losing streak since a school-record 23 in a row that included all 17 games in the 1944-45 season.

``I know for a fact we have a lot more to give,'' Fields said. ``We've got to be a scrappy team. We have to realize what we are.''

Neal started the go-ahead spurt when he stole an errant inbounds pass near midcourt and hit a 3-pointer with 12:40 left in the half. Fields made a 3-pointer, but Everett responded with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put Oklahoma up 14-12.

After Fields was called for an offensive foul, Neal hit another 3-pointer. On the next Oklahoma possession, Everett drove the baseline for a layup and it was 19-14.

An open 3-pointer by Neal put the Sooners up 37-26 at halftime.

Neal missed the first two Big 12 games because of a strained groin after being limited earlier in the season by thumb and heel injuries. He had his second straight 15-point game, including four late 3-pointers in the 60-48 win over Texas Tech.

``For us, Michael Neal is so important because he's our best shooter,''' Sampson said. ``We went through a stretch of games when he wasn't healthy.''

Curtis Jerrells, one of four freshmen playing significant minutes for Baylor, had a steal and layup to start the second half. Oklahoma then scored nine straight points and maintained a double-figure margin the rest of the way.

A 3-pointer by David Godbold started the run, which included a blocked shot by Gray that led to a layup by Godbold and a follow-up slam by Gray.

Gray, the Sooners' leading scorer at 14.7 points per game, didn't score until making a free throw with 2:07 left. By then, it was already 32-21.

Baylor was within 24-21 when Bruce penetrated with 6 minutes left in the first half, then made a one-handed pass over his head to Kevin Rogers behind him for a layup. Bookout then scored six straight points and drew an offensive foul before Gray's free throw.

Still, Oklahoma's big men weren't bothered by their lack of scoring early.

``We don't care as long as we have the lead. We don't care how many points we have,'' Bookout said. ``With Terrell playing the way he was and Mike shooting the ball, I don't really care.''

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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