Sooners Struggle to Shake Off Pesky Anteaters

Everyone in the Lloyd Noble Center was itching for Oklahoma to take control. They were waiting, patiently, for UC Irvine to crack.

They waited and waited. Their reward, finally, was an 80-68 Oklahoma victory in the Sooner Holiday Classic championship game.

It capped a perfect day for the 10,481 in attendance, who were already delirious from the Sooners’ football victory over rival Oklahoma State earlier in the day. It capped a oddly successful trip for the Anteaters, who came home with one victory and some respect, not to mention a little self-respect.

“I think we proved something to ourselves tonight,” said Irvine forward Sean Jackson, who finished with 18 points. “Sometimes this team has a problem believing in itself.

“Our goal was to come here and win two games. You hate to lose a game, especially one we could have won. But this game is going to help.”

Irvine went step-for-step with Oklahoma for 30 minutes. The Anteaters traded baskets, and even blows, with the Sooners.

Anteater guard Zamiro Bennem and Oklahoma center Renzi Stone got tangled up early in the second half and Stone appeared to get in a punch as the two fell to the floor. Both received technical fouls.

“Our guys came in here and didn’t get intimidated,” Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said.

It showed well into the second half.

The score was tied, 47-47, with 10 minutes 17 seconds left when the Anteaters fell flat, and it was Oklahoma guard J.R. Raymond who pulled the rug out.

Raymond hit three three-pointers and had two steals in a 13-2 run for a 60-49 lead. It was a game of attrition from that point.

Raymond finished with 24 points. Mike Najera and Nolan Johnson each had 16.

“Our kids didn’t lose their composure,” Oklahoma Coach Kelvin Sampson said. “A lot of times teams will get upset early in the season in a game just like this.”

Exactly like this one.

A year ago, Oklahoma failed to win the first Sooner Holiday Classic, losing to Murray State in the championship game.

The runner-up trophy sat at mid-court for the next week of practice and hasn’t been seen since. The Sooners were frothing for a blowout.

They couldn’t pull it off.

Irvine’s defense was difficult to penetrate in the first half. Najera, projected to be an NBA first-round pick, got few good looks at the basket.

Meanwhile, Irvine point guard Jerry Green (20 points) was a particular problem for the Sooners. His eight-foot turnaround shot gave the Anteaters a 30-25 lead with four minutes left in the half. Irvine led, 36-32, at halftime.

“They had a great game plan,” Sampson said. “I was just glad to get to halftime where we had the time to make some adjustments.”

The biggest was putting the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Johnson on Green, who found shots more difficult. He wasn’t alone.

The Anteaters hung in for 10 more minutes, then went seven minutes without a field goal.

“They picked up their intensity and just wore us down,” Douglass said.

The Sooners also got a charge from reserve guard Hollis Price. He had five points and three steals in a seven-minute stretch in the second half, giving the fans what they came for.

“It’s tough when you got thousands of people rooting against you,” Green said. “I felt we started rushing our shots. Their crowd got into it and they fed off that. That’s what went wrong for us.”