UA falls to Sooners in overtime

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

NORMAN, Okla. -- Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson used to own Oklahoma. Now it's the other way around.
The No. 18 Sooners staged an improbable comeback to beat the No. 25 Razorbacks for the third consecutive year, winning 88-79 in overtime, Saturday night at Lloyd Noble Center before 11,479 fans.
Richardson had been 6-0 as a coach against Oklahoma -- 4-0 with Tulsa and 2-0 with Arkansas -- before the Sooners began dominating the Razorbacks in a series that began three years ago.
Oklahoma (9-1) pounded Arkansas 87-57 two years ago in Norman and won 66-52 at Walton Arena last season.
It appeared Arkansas (7-3) would exact its revenge when the Razorbacks went ahead 69-60 with 1:55 left in regulation on junior guard Brandon Dean's three-point play.
But Oklahoma rallied with the help of two three-point baskets by senior guard Kelly Newton and some turnovers and missed free throws by the Razorbacks, sending the game into overtime when junior forward Daryan Selvy (West Memphis) scored on a rebound basket with 10.9 seconds left in regulation.
Arkansas sophomore forward Carl Baker, who hit 1 of 2 free throws with 23.2 seconds left in regulation to give the Razorbacks a 74-72 lead, missed a jump shot at the end of regulation.
Oklahoma took control in overtime, outscoring Arkansas 14-5 and going ahead to stay, 79-77, on two free throws by Selvy with 3:05 left.
It was bitter loss for the Razorbacks after they appeared to have the game under control, only to let it slip away.
"Disappointment, total disappointment," Dean said. "Oklahoma didn't win the game. We gave Oklahoma the game. We just didn't do the things we needed to do down the stretch to win."
Sophomore guard Joe Johnson, junior guard T.J. Cleveland and Baker combined to hit just 3 of 6 free throws in the final 1:35 of regulation, each hitting 1 of 2.
Junior guard Jannero Pargo, who led Arkansas with 14 points, took an ill-advised quick shot in that stretch and Johnson, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds, turned the ball over on a bad pass.
"At the end [of regulation], we were playing the clock, we weren't playing OU," Richardson said. "But we didn't manage the clock. ... We mismanaged it."
Oklahoma Coach Kelvin Sampson praised his players' character and heart, but acknowledged the Razorbacks' mistakes that helped the Sooners pull out the victory.
"We had to get lucky in that the other team had to contribute," Sampson said. "But we had to do the other part, too.
"Our kids are tough. I don't think you win a game like that unless you've got a program with tough kids. ... I thought this was a character test tonight, and we passed it."
Sooners sophomore guard Hollis Price scored 9 of his game-high 21 points in overtime and hit 13 of 15 free throws in the game.
Price was scoreless in the first half, when senior guard Nolan Johnson scored 16 of his 18 points for the Sooners before fouling out with 4:25 left.
"I wasn't playing like I knew I could," Price said. "Coach got on me at halftime. He told me that point-guard play was the reason we were losing. I knew I had to pick it up in the second half."
Richardson the reason Price was able to pick it up in the second half was because the Razorbacks had to play tentatively on defense after Oklahoma had taken 18 free throws compared to 3 for Arkansas.
It was that disparity, Richardson said, which caused him to be tagged with a technical foul by John Clougherty as he walked off the court at the end of the first half and expressed his opinion to the officials.
The game was called by an SEC veteran officiating crew that also included Andre Patillo and Curtis Shaw, but Richardson certainly didn't feel his team got any breaks against the Big 12 Sooners.
"The reason we came in out a zone was so we could keep OU off the line," he said. "Then they wind up shooting 50 free throws to 20 for us? It's very difficult to overcome 50 free throws by the other team when you're on the road."
Richardson's technical let Price shoot two free throws to start the second half, tying the score at 35-35. Those points were part of a 15-0 run by Oklahoma over a 5:03 span at the end of the first half and beginning of the first half to move ahead 41-35.
Oklahoma then got two more free throws and a basket from Price and a basket from junior forward Aaron McGhee to open up its six-point lead.
Arkansas fought back and regained the lead, 49-48, on sophomore forward Dionisio Gomez's baseline drive with 12:05 left.
The teams traded baskets the first 10 minutes as the lead changed hands 11 times and the score was tied at 16-16.
Arkansas then outscored Oklahoma 16-5 over a span of 5:46, including three-pointers by Dean, Johnson and junior guard Teddy Gipson, to take a 32-21 lead with 3:41 left in the first half.
McGhee pulled Oklahoma within 32-26, but Pargo answered with a three-pointer for Arkansas to make it 35-26.
The Sooners then scored the half's last seven points, including a three-pointer by senior guard Tim Heskett, to cut their halftime deficit to 35-33.

This article was published on Sunday, December 24, 2000

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