Bookout's Tip Saves Sooners, 71-70

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Kevin Bookout didn't even use his good hand to give No. 22 Oklahoma a 71-70 victory over Texas Tech.

``Amazing thing is he tipped it in with his left hand, and it's broken,'' Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson said of winning rebound basket with 4.5 seconds left Monday night.

It was the only field goal for the Sooners (18-6, 9-4 Big 12) in the final 8 minutes and it came just over a minute after the Red Raiders (14-13, 6-7) had closed a 10-2 run to take a 70-68 lead.

Michael Neal had 18 points for Oklahoma, while Jarrius Jackson led Texas Tech with 27.

Jackson's 3-pointer with 1:30 left wiped out a 10-point deficit and brought the Red Raiders into a tie at 68.

Final Stats | Postgame Notes | Gameday Central

Martin Zeno made two free throws with 1:08 left to give Texas Tech a 70-68 lead.

David Godbold of Oklahoma was fouled going for the rebound of his missed 3-pointer and made the second of two free throws with 55 seconds to play.

Darryl Dora of Texas Tech missed a short jumper and Oklahoma grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with 23 seconds left. Terrell Everett dribbled down the clock before driving for a jumper in the lane that bounced off the rim before Bookout, who finished with 12 points, converted the rebound.

Jackson missed a final shot for the Red Raiders.

The Sooners finished with a 45-24 rebound advantage.

``We felt like if there was an area we could dominate, it would be the boards,'' Sampson said. ``It's comforting to know we don't have to shoot well and we have a chance to make second and third shots.''

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight wasn't going to blame the loss on the final offensive rebound.

``Any time a game is won at the end, you tend to put too much emphasis on what happens at the very end,'' he said.

Texas Tech took a 46-44 lead on a four-point play by Jackson. The Sooners went on a 16-4 run that included three straight 3-pointers from the same spot by Neal and another by Godbold to go up 60-50 with about 8 minutes remaining. Tech answered with a 13-6 run to pull within 66-63 on a three-point play by Zeno with 3:42 left.

``You look up and we're up 10, we miss a 1-and-1, we miss three free throws and it's like 'How do you lose a lead?''' Sampson said.

Knight said Neal was tough to stop.

``When you shoot the ball moving as hard as you can going towards the sideline and you make it, there isn't a hell of a lot of defense you can use that's going to stop it,'' he said.

Sampson said Oklahoma's offense centers around Neal and his quick release.

``Everything we had, we were running for Michael Neal,'' he said. ``He's not the best athlete on the floor but he's a good basketball player.''

Taj Gray had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Oklahoma, while Everett added 10 points.

Zeno finished with 15 points for the Red Raiders and Jon Plefka added 11.

Texas Tech took a 16-9 lead before the Sooners went on a 10-2 run to go up 19-18. The Red Raiders missed nine straight shots over a 6-minute span before Zeno scored with 8:23 remaining. After that the lead changed six times before Oklahoma scored on three of its last four possessions to lead a 32-28 halftime lead.

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