SOUTHLAND

Oklahoma 80, UC Irvine 68--The Anteaters went step-for-step with the Sooners in the first half before falling in the championship of the Sooner Holiday Classic before 10,481 at Norman, Okla.

The score was tied, 47-47, with 10 minutes 17 seconds left when Irvine (1-2) fell flat. Guard J.R. Raymond led the charge for the Sooners (5-0). He made three three-point shots and had two steals in a 13-2 run for a 60-49 lead.

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

“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 loose a game, especially one we could have won. But this game is going to help us.”

Point guard Jerry Green was a particular problem for the Sooners, finishing with 20 points.

“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.”