16 BIG 12 OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Oklahoma hangs on in final minutes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma guard Cade Davis, front, goes up for a basket in front of Missouri forward Justin Safford, back, during the second half of their game in Norman, Okla. on Jan. 16. Oklahoma defeated Minnesota 66-61.
By Clark Foy Oklahoma Daily — Thursday, Jan. 28
With Tony Crocker and Willie Warren both out with injuries, Oklahoma was in dire need of somebody to step up at home Wednesday against the Iowa State Cyclones in place of their top two scorers.
However, one did not. Two did.
Bruised and beaten, the ailing Sooners were able to get the best of Iowa State, downing the Cyclones in a blowout-turnedhome-scare 89-84.
Young gun Tommy Mason-Griffin was first to shine, hitting the first eight Sooner points. Mason-Griffin ended the half with 18 points off of 7-9 shooting from the field, 4-5 from the three point arc.
Renowned this season for his relentless hustle and heart, junior guard Cade Davis stepped in to compliment Mason-Griffin's hot start.
Davis shot the lights out as well, shooting 5-10 from the field and 2-4 from the three-point arc, good for 14 first-half points. He
also added three steals.
As a team, the Sooners shot often throughout the first half and shot well, a deadly combination when a team shoots as many three pointers as Oklahoma does. The team finished the first half shooting 50 percent from the field and 8-15 (53 percent) from the three-point line.
The deadeye shooting led to a 19-7 Oklahoma run that plagued the Cyclones from the 12-minute mark until under eight minutes left in the half.
Capel's crew enjoyed a healthy 48-32 lead at half. On the season, the Sooners have averaged a Big 12 best eight three-pointers per contest, equal to what they had in Wednesday night's first half.
With five minutes left, the Sooners were up by a mere three points. The Cyclones had traded buckets and gone on many short-runs to slowly but surely chip the lead down and were right on the verge of taking the lead.
Lucky for the Sooners, basketball is a two-half effort, and they were able to hang on to win in the last few minutes of the game.
TEXASTECH RED RAIDERS
Red Raiders look for lift after road losses
By Mike Graham Daily Toreader — Friday, Jan. 29
Junior guard John Roberson and the Texas Tech basketball team know they're going to need a win or two on the road to stand out to the postseason selection committees.
Texas Tech lost at No.6 Texas on Wednesday, but the Red Raiders have a second consecutive opportunity to grab a marquee road win when they play a good Texas A&M team at 8 p.m. in College Station.
"It's real important," Roberson said. "Especially since we lost to Missouri at home, we have to get that one back. This is a winnable game for us and I think we'll get it done."
Things did not go as well as the Red Raiders hoped when they played Texas.
Tech led at halftime 50-47, but was outscored 48-33 in the second half on the Longhorns' way to a 95-83 victory.
The Red Raiders also allowed five Texas players to get into double-digit scoring — something that will have to change for Tech
to have a chance at A&M.
Darko Cohadarevic missed the game serving an indefinite suspension and D'walyn Roberts was out with a foot injury.
Roberson said he expects Cohadarevic to be back in the lineup Saturday, but Roberts' status is still uncertain.
But A&M needs a win, too. The Aggies were the first team out of the polls just a few weeks ago,but losses at Texas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State have the Aggies sitting .500 in the Big 12 Conference standings.
An A&M win would give the Aggies a bit of separation from other teams seeking the last NCAA Tournament and NIT bids.
A Tech win could put the Red Raiders, tied for ninth, in the top half of the conference standings — tied with A&M at 3-4.
"We know that they're a good team," forward Mike Singletary said. "And we think we're a pretty good team. All that stuff we did before conference really doesn't matter to us right now. It's all about what you do in conference and who you beat in conference."
Texas guard Justin Mason, right, attempts to move around the defense by Texas Tech guard David Tauru during the first half of their game last Wednesday in Austin. After leaving at halftime, the Red Raiders lost to the Longhorns, 95-83.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE WAVE FEBRUARY 1,2010
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN