Men's Basketball: Back in Time #9

Aug. 6, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. - Each Monday through August, SoonerSports.com will take you back in time with the OU men's basketball program as we highlight some of the biggest games and biggest names from the 1970s, '80s, '90s and 2000s.

The ninth segment recaptures a sizzling OU start against Bedlam rival Oklahoma State during the Sooners' 2004-05 Big 12 regular season championship campaign. Playing in front of an overflow crowd and a national ESPN audience, could Oklahoma ride the inside play of Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray to a key conference victory? Or could Joey Graham and John Lucas lead the Cowboys back from a huge early deficit?

Jan. 24, 2005
No. 13 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State | Box Score

Every Bedlam basketball game holds special meaning, but this particular Oklahoma-Oklahoma State matchup was surrounded with more buzz and buildup than usual.

The Cowboys, who were coming off a Final Four appearance the previous year, traveled to Norman ranked No. 9 in the AP poll with their 14-2 overall record and 4-1 Big 12 mark. OU entered the contest 15-2 overall and 4-0 in league play, and was ranked No. 13.

A game that was supposed to be entertaining and closely contested only halfway lived up to its billing. That's because the outcome was decided soon after it started. OU's Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray were the ones responsible for that.

2005 OU vs. Oklahoma State Video Highlights

Bookout started the scoring on a tip-in of a Terrell Everett missed layup. OSU's Ivan McFarlin responded with a jumper to tie the score at 2-2. Then Bookout hit a jumper. Then Gray dunked. Another Bookout layup and was followed by a Gray layup and another Gray slam.

An Oklahoma State timeout with the score 12-2 only delayed further bleeding.

A Gray free throw, another Gray layup, a Bookout jumper and yet another Gray jam produced a 19-2 advantage. All 19 points came from the hands of Bookout and Gray. The pair was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field while OSU was 1-for-10.

The overflow Lloyd Noble Center crowd of 12,672 watched in delight as the Sooners emerged from their corner swinging. Soon after, the stunned and dazed Cowboys seemed as though they were hoping to hear the bell.

"They went to their bread and butter," said McFarlin after the game, referring to the inside tandem of Bookout and Gray. "Right from the start."

To its credit, Oklahoma State battled back. The Cowboys reduced their deficit to nine at halftime, 29-20, despite getting no points from John Lucas, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year. A quick second-half start drew them to within six points at 33-27.

That's when Bookout and Gray assembled a mini instant replay of their first-half spurt. The duo combined for eight points during a 10-0 run that put the Sooners back up by 16, 43-27. The Sooners kept punching and got the knockout blow when Jaison Williams' 3-pointer with 11:41 remaining gave OU a 20-point advantage, 51-31.

With the game decided, Oklahoma State used an 8-2 run over the final 2:30 to bring the final margin to 10 points, 67-57. It was OU's 10th straight victory.

On top of being proud of the boisterous crowd, head coach Kelvin Sampson said following the game that he was proud of his junior big men.

"One of the things that human beings do is put limitations on themselves," Sampson began. "We're always challenging our kids. I thought our inside men really stepped up to the plate tonight."

That they did. Bookout scored a game-high 23 points on 11-for-15 field goal shooting and grabbed six rebounds. Gray netted 22 points thanks to 10-for-14 shooting and added eight boards, a career-high five assists, two blocks and two steals. The pair made four fewer field goals than the entire OSU team.

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Said Gray, "We knew we needed to step up our game in all areas to beat a tough OSU ball club, and we came out and met the challenge. It was about rebounding, physical play and toughness. That's what got it done."

Bookout made sure to share the credit with his shorter teammates.

"I thought the guards did a tremendous job of getting the ball inside and provided Taj and me with great looks all night."

Oklahoma State head coach Eddie Sutton, who watched his team commit 14 turnovers compared to OU's eight, did his best to sum up his team's performance.

"This was the worst in 15 years we have played down here."

Notes: OU's win was Kelvin Sampson's 250th as head coach of the Sooners ... Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray combined to score OU's first 21 points on 10-for-10 shooting ... The pair finished the game a combined 21-for-29 from the field ... Bookout made his first eight shots and scored in double figures for the sixth straight game ... OU scored 50 of its 67 points in the paint ... The Sooners recorded assists on 21 of their 29 baskets ... Oklahoma went on to share the Big 12 title with Kansas and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament by virtue of its regular season win over the Jayhawks.

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