March 9, 2011
| |
| Stats Comparison | | | | Points | 84
| 67
| | FG Made-Attempted | 23-40 | 24-58
| | FG Percentage | .575 | .414 | | 3PT Made-Attempted | 9-18 | 4-19 | | 3PT Percentage | .500 | .211 | | FT Made-Attempted | 29-33
| 15-23
| | F T Percentage | .879 | .652 | | Rebounds | 30 | 29 | | Turnovers | 14 | 9 |
|
| Stat Leaders | | Davis
| 24
| Pts | 21 | Acy
| | Clark | 7 | Rbs | 15 | Acy
| Blair
| 11
| Assts. | 4 | Ellis
| Clark
| 2
| Stls | 2
| Dunn | | Washington | 2
| Blks | 1
| Acy/Jones
|
|
|
|
|
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Cade Davis scored 24 points and Oklahoma hit short-handed Baylor with an 18-2 punch early in the first half, sending the Sooners to an 84-67 victory Wednesday in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
The Sooners also canned nine 3-pointers and took advantage of the absence of standout freshman Perry Jones, who was declared ineligible by the NCAA just hours before tipoff in an unexpected move that angered Baylor coach Scott Drew.
"I hope no other institution, no other team, no other family and no other player has to go through what we did the last couple of hours," he said.
"The Jones family are unbelievable people. Teri Jones works I don't know how many jobs to take care of her family. Big Perry has been there for his family. Little Perry is the type of guy you'd have marry your daughter."
With the 6-foot-11 Jones out and leading scorer LaceDarius having a poor game, the Bears never threatened.
Jones was declared ineligible over issues regarding whether he or his family received preferential treatment or improper benefits before he enrolled. Baylor said it would appeal.
Jones averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds and had been a forceful defensive presence.
He was obviously missed when Oklahoma went on its early run and took control.
"When we built that lead, we wanted to make sure we kept pushing it and kept trying to knock them back even more," said Davis. "We didn't want them to get back in the game at all and have any hope of any momentum."
The 10th-seeded Sooners (14-17) split with Baylor in the regular season but have dominated over the years. Davis and Steven Pledger hit 3-pointers to fuel the early run and seize a 27-15 lead. Oklahoma has beaten seventh-seeded Baylor (18-13) in 32 of their last 35 meetings.
"I knew we were ready to play," said Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel. "I knew we would come in with confidence."
Dunn, the Big 12's all-time leading scorer, spent much of the first half on the bench with three fouls and had only two points when he sank a 3-pointer with 11:10 to go and Oklahoma leading 56-34. Dunn, who led the Big 12 this year with 19.8 points per game, finished with 11 points on 3-for-14 shooting and was hounded by Pledger all night.
"I just wanted to force him left and make everything hard for him," said Pledger. "Just try to be in his face and everything."
Dunn extended his school record to 45 straight games with at least one 3-pointer. But he was 1-for-7 from behind the arc and needs two more 3s to set the Big 12 record.
Like his coach, Dunn was bummed by the NCAA's decision on Jones.
"He was a brother to me," Dunn said. "It doesn't just affect him, his family. It affects the whole 13 guys on the bench, starting with the head coach going on down."
Carl Blair had 14 points and 11 assists and Clark Cameron had 10 points for Oklahoma, which faces No. 10 Texas on Thursday in the second round. Quincy Acy had had 21 points and Anthony Jones had 13 for Baylor.
Blair had no doubt Baylor was weakened by Jones' absence.
"It (stinks) for their team that he wasn't able to play," he said. "But I feel we just attacked the game with the same game plan. We knew we had to come out there and outrebound them and play hard, and that's what we did."
Jones' 3-pointer put Baylor on top 13-9 before Clark's bucket ignited the 18-2 run. Pledger hit a 3-pointer, Davis drilled a 10-footer and the Sooners were off, outscoring the Bears 30-9 the rest of the way to take a 39-22 halftime lead.
After Andrew Fitzgerald's jumper put Oklahoma on top 23-15, Dunn was whistled for an intentional foul and Pledger made both free throws.
Less than a minute later, Dunn was called for a second foul and Davis scored for a 27-15 Oklahoma lead.
Clark's 3-pointer was followed by Dunn's third foul with 4:11 to go in the half. Davis quickly hit another 3-pointer.
The Bears went into the locker room thinking they were trailing 39-25 after Jones made a 3-pointer at the buzzer. But after the teams left the floor, officials reviewed the shot on television and waved it off.
"I think that last shot kind of summed up how the first half went for us," said Drew.
