Off their guard

Hoosiers completely silence Sooners' Price, White

Quannas White was held scoreless in the Oklahoma defeat. AP

ATLANTA (AP) -- Oklahoma guards Hollis Price and Quannas White played 59 minutes between them and combined for one basket.

As good and scrappy and athletic as the Sooners are, that was too much to overcome. They lost 73-64 to Indiana in the Final Four on Saturday, in large part because they got next to nothing from their guards.

"We could have played better because we could have shot better," Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson said. "We won a lot of games where these kids didn't shoot as well. Sometimes, you have to take the good with the bad."

And so, a season that included a Big 12 tournament championship and the first trip to the Final Four since 1988 ended one game and two wins short for the Sooners (31-5).

Price, the team's leading scorer, finished with one 3-pointer and three free throws for six points, 11 less than his season average.

White, who conceded the ankle he rolled in practice Thursday still bothered him, didn't score a point.

Video Click the image to launch the clip The Hoosiers say Jeff Newton couldn't have picked a better night to have a career game.Start Indiana head coach Mike Davis says Jeff Newton energizes his team. Jared Jeffries and Dane Fife praise Jeff Newton. Kelvin Sampson has mixed feelings about Oklahoma's defeat to Indiana. Video Plus Visit Video Plus for all the latest video and audio.

A team that prides itself on finding ways to win, even when the shooting touch isn't there, couldn't win with this formula. Not with Price shooting 1-for-11. Not with White finishing with one assist.

And not with the game placed on the shoulders of big men only, who played most of the game in deep foul trouble, and gave up as much with their tentative defense as they produced with their consistent offense.

Indiana's Jeff Newton, a backup 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward who looks like a beanpole compared to Oklahoma's intimidating frontcourt, sliced through the backtracking Sooners to finish with 19 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.

"We made some bad decisions on defense," Sampson said. "Not being aggressive had something to do with it."

Aaron McGhee led Oklahoma with 22 points and eight rebounds, but the 6-8 forward watched the final 5 minutes from the bench with five fouls. Teammates Jabahri Brown (nine points in only 19 minutes) and Daryan Selvy (four points, four fouls) had the same frustrating stories to tell.

But at least the big men kept Oklahoma's offense running, which is more than Price or White can say.

The scouting report on Oklahoma says not to give Price any room once he reaches the perimeter, because he's a quick shooter who only needs the tiniest bit of space to get his shot off.

With guard Dane Fife leading the effort, Indiana followed that plan perfectly, and by the time Price finally got some open shots, he was totally off his rhythm.

"Fife did a great job, he was so physical," Price said. "I usually get around that and overcome it. But he did a great job."

Early in the game, Price took a nasty blow to his elbow. It bothered him, but he wasn't using that as an excuse.

Nor did Price blame his shooting troubles on White's injury, which turned out to be worse than he let on Friday.

"I don't have any excuses for not doing what I did the last few games," Price said. The skinny 6-1 guard who scored 26 and 18 points for the Sooners at the West regional hardly looked like the same player.

Late in the first half, he missed a pair of open 3-pointers -- great shots on most days for a guy who sank 83 shots from behind the arc this season. He threw up a wide-open air ball with 15 minutes left.

His only make of the night came with 5:44 left, a 3-pointer from the corner to cut Oklahoma's deficit to 57-53. Indiana's Kyle Hornsby answered 19 seconds later with a 3-pointer of his own -- it was just that kind of night for the Sooners, who went only 2-for-18 from 3-point range.

Fittingly, Oklahoma's last chance came on a blown opportunity between White and Price. Trailing by six with 1:50 left, White dribbled under the basket, jumped in the air and saw Price spotted up at the top of the key for a wide-open 3. Price missed it.

From there, Indiana made a bunch of free throws, and Oklahoma's season came to a disappointing close.

"When you get this close and lose, I think it hurts a little bit more," Sampson said. "You'd like this to be a big-picture moment, too. But the little picture is that we didn't play well enough tonight to win."

 

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