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Big 12 Tournament roundup Texas Tech wins again, knocking off No. 2 seed TexasPosted: Friday March 14, 2003 3:23 PMUpdated: Saturday March 15, 2003 1:02 AM
DALLAS (AP) -- Bob Knight gave back his salary because he didn't like how Texas Tech played in the regular season. The postseason is turning out quite differently. Nathan Doudney scored a career-high 25 points, mostly on 3-pointers, to help the Red Raiders build a 20-point lead before halftime, then they held on to beat No. 3 Texas 92-81 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament Friday night. Andre Emmett had 30 points and 11 rebounds and Kasib Powell had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the fourth triple-double in school history as Knight earned his most impressive victory in two years coaching the Red Raiders. It's quite a bargain for the school, since Knight has told athletic director Gerald Myers he won't accept his $250,000 base salary no matter how March turns out. "Gerald has a hell of a deal," Knight said. "He has to take me out to eat tonight." Tech hadn't beat a team ranked so high since knocking off No. 2 SMU in January 1985. The Red Raiders also had lost 13 straight against Texas. Now, they're in the conference semifinals for the second straight year, this time as the lowest seed (seventh) to make it that far in the tournament's seven-year history. They'll play sixth-ranked Oklahoma (22-6), which beat Colorado 74-59 in Friday's last quarterfinal game. While an automatic bid remains the best way for Tech (17-11) to get into the NCAA tournament, Knight's plucky squad has to be making its case for an at-large berth -- especially with the compelling story line of the Hall of Fame coach working for free. "We hope we can get in with this win," said Powell, who had the first triple-double in Big 12 tournament history. Knight, though, said he's already extended them one bid. "I invited them to dinner at the hotel," he said. For Texas (22-6), the loss could hurt its chances of getting a No. 1 seed. The Longhorns had won four straight and eight of nine. They were coming off their best win of the year, having erased a 15-point deficit in the final 13:48 to beat Oklahoma 76-71, ending the Sooners' 37-game home winning streak. A similar rally seemed to begin with Texas Tech up 71-59 and 7:29 left. The Longhorns got to 80-74, but their strategy of fouling at every opportunity backfired. The Red Raiders made 13 of 16 free throws down the stretch. "With the run we had last week, a lot of people probably expected us to come back and win. We did the best we could," said point guard T.J. Ford, who led Texas with 23 points and eight assists. The Longhorns' only lead was 2-0. Tech went up by 19 midway through the first half and was ahead 50-30 in the closing seconds of the half. Doudney, a walk-on last season making only his fourth start this season, led the hot start by hitting 3-pointer after 3-pointer. He was 5-of-6 and had 17 points at halftime, already topping his career-high of 15. He finished 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Will Chavis, who fouled out with 4:02 left, was 3-of-5, giving Tech a season-best 10 3-pointers. "I got some great open looks," Doudney said. "After I hit the first one, it all started flowing." Ford was about all that flowed for Texas. Brandon Mouton scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, while James Thomas, who averages 11.6 points, was shut out. He missed two field goals and two free throws in 16 minutes. "This was as good a game played against us in a long time," said Longhorns coach Rick Barnes, who had been 10-0 against Tech. "They were crisp, they were terrific." The Red Raiders came into the tournament on a three-game losing streak, then needed a buzzer-beating basket by Emmett to win the first-round game against Baylor. This victory makes Knight 4-1 in Big 12 tournament games. He enjoyed this one so much that during a dead-ball stoppage with 4:53 left, he and Ford chatted for about 15 seconds. Knight put an arm around Ford's shoulders and the guard was smiling the entire time. Knight gently patted Ford on the back of his head when it broke up. "We just had a nice little conversation," said Ford, declining to give details. "He was just buying time for one of his free throw shooters." He likely was complimenting the standout sophomore. "We proved once again we can't cover Ford. I'm tired of proving that," Knight said. "I'm not sure I've seen anybody move as quickly with the basketball. He made a pass in the second half that I almost stood up and clapped for. The kid did a great job keeping them in it." Missouri 60, Oklahoma State 58DALLAS (AP) -- Travon Bryant grabbed a rebound and got off a short jumper just before time expired, giving Missouri a 60-58 win over No. 23 Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament on Friday. The final shot was intended for Jimmy McKinney, but he missed on his drive to the basket. The ball bounced off the rim and over the outstretched arms of several Oklahoma State players before it went to Bryant. The Tigers (20-9) had been confident of making the NCAA tournament field for the fifth straight year under coach Quin Snyder, even before the Big 12 tournament. With two wins this week, Missouri now appears to be a lock no matter what happens over the weekend. Oklahoma State (21-9) has lost eight of 12 since its 15-game winning streak, but the Cowboys still seem certain to make it to the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight time. The Tigers had 35 seconds left after Oklahoma State's Melvin Sanders missed a 3-pointer from the right corner. Missouri was given the ball when it went out of bounds in the scramble for the rebound. While Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton was pleading with officials that the ball went off a Missouri player, the Tigers called a timeout and set up their final play. McKinney and Ricky Clemons handled the ball deep outside before McKinney started his drive to the basket with about five seconds left. Bryant had just enough time to grab the rebound and put up his shot, which left his hand just before the buzzer sounded. It was one of only two misses for McKinney, who led the Tigers with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Bryant finished with nine points. The Tigers play fourth-ranked Kansas, the Big 12 regular-season champion, in the first semifinal game Saturday. The Jayhawks (25-6) beat Iowa State 89-74 in their quarterfinal game Friday. Arthur Johnson had 12 points and Ricky Clemons, who missed the Tigers' 76-56 loss to Oklahoma State in January while serving a one-game suspension, scored 11. Rickey Paulding had 11 points. Victor Williams led Oklahoma State with 12 points, while Sanders and Andre Williams both had 10. Ivan McFarlin had 14 rebounds. After the teams traded long scoring spurts twice in the first half, the margin never got larger than four points. There were nine lead changes in the final 14 minutes. Victor Williams' second straight 3-pointer tied it at 55 with 3:12 left. Those were the last field goals of the game for the Cowboys, who shot just 38 percent. Paulding was called for a foul with 2:09 left when, after he was stripped by McFarlin, he fouled Sanders while trying to recover the ball. Sanders made his first free throw for a 58-55 lead. McKinney tied it at 58 just 22 seconds later when he found a seam and drove the baseline for a basket, then made the free throw after being fouled by McFarlin. Both teams missed short shots before the final sequence.Kansas 89, Iowa State 74DALLAS (AP) -- Sophomores Keith Langford and Aaron Miles led No. 4 Kansas' drives through the Iowa State defense, sending the Jayhawks to an 89-74 victory in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament Friday. Langford scored 19 points and Miles had 16, his most since Dec. 28, as Kansas (25-6) loaded up on short shots to advance into Saturday's semifinals against the Missouri-Oklahoma State winner. The Wildcats hit 60 percent of their shots, with Miles going 7-for-10 and Langford hitting 8-of-12. Jeff Graves had a season-high 16, including a thunderous one-handed dunk off a rebound, on 7-for-9 shooting. Nick Collison, voted the conference player of the year by league coaches, had a quiet 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. About the only Jayhawk who struggled was Kirk Hinrich, who was 6-of-16 for 14 points. He shot 2-for-9 from 3-point range. Kansas, which hasn't won the conference tournament the last three years after taking the first three, never trailed. A nice reverse layup by Langford late in the first half put the Jayhawks up 33-20 and the Cyclones (16-13) never got closer than 10. The focus for Kansas now is locking up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA field for the second straight year. The Jayhawks, who reached the Final Four last season, have won five in a row and 12 of 13. Jackson Vroman, who had a total of eight points and 11 rebounds in two earlier games against Kansas, led ISU with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Marcus Jefferson had 18 points, and Jared Homan and Tim Barnes each had 13. Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy knew his team couldn't afford a slow start after losing four straight to Kansas, including two this season by 19 and 29 points. So when he saw three straight drives through his defense give the Jayhawks an 11-7 lead, he angrily called timeout. Hinrich followed with a steal and a dunk, prompting Eustachy to switch point guards. Soon after, Eustachy stomped loudly when a foul was called against one of his players instead of traveling on Miles and was whistled for a technical foul. Iowa State will head home hoping for an NIT bid. The Cyclones' case: Lopsided victories over NCAA bubble teams Colorado and Missouri in recent weeks, part of a 4-3 closing stretch. Oklahoma 74, Colorado 59DALLAS (AP) -- Oklahoma never had to worry about Colorado pulling off another miraculous ending.The sixth-ranked Sooners led throughout after Colorado scored the opening basket and responded with a game-clinching run when things got close, beating the Buffaloes 74-59 in a Big 12 tournament quarterfinal game Friday night. "Bottom line, we just played a much better team," Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said. "They have the look of a team that has been to the Final Four." Even with center Jabahri Brown fouling out with 10:33 left and second-leading scorer Ebi Ere limited because of a bandage around his left hand, the Sooners (22-6) were too much for NCAA hopeful Colorado. Quannas White and Hollis Price both scored 19 points for the Sooners, who are seeking their third straight Big 12 tournament title and a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. "We're not worried about a No. 1 seed right now," Price said. "We're just trying to get through the Big 12 and get another championship." The Sooners play Texas Tech (17-11) in the second semifinal game Saturday. No. 4 Kansas (25-6) plays Missouri (20-9) in the first game. Ere, who injured his wrist in practice Tuesday, made his only field goal when he sank an awkward-looking 3-pointer with 13:30 left to push the Sooners ahead 50-36. "There was no doubt he was going to play. When his bucket went in, I think the whole team was real excited," Price said. "A guy goes down and comes back and makes a big play for you, you get emotional -- that's what a team does." When the Buffaloes (20-11) managed to cut the gap to 56-51, Oklahoma responded with a decisive 9-0 run started by Johnnie Gilbert's alert play. The shot clock was about to run out when Gilbert drove into traffic, made the basket and was fouled as the buzzer sounded. He missed the free throw, but that didn't matter. "That was a backbreaker. If we stopped them, we have to chance to cut it to three and get some momentum going," Colorado forward Stephane Pelle said. "We knew we had to play a perfect game, and we didn't." After De'Angelo Alexander made two free throws, Kevin Bookout made a layup and White made a 3-pointer to make it 65-51 with 5:34 left. Colorado had won four straight games, but that streak ended with its 15th loss in 16 games against Oklahoma. Patton is confident his team has done enough to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997, when he took over as head coach midway through the season. The Buffs will have to wait until Sunday to find out for sure. "It's been one heck of a ride so far, we've still got some basketball left," Patton said. The Buffaloes advanced to the quarterfinals after James Wright banked a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Kansas State 77-76 Thursday. The Wildcats seemed to have that game won when Pervis Pasco intercepted an inbound pass with 3 seconds left, but he got called for traveling when he walked off of the court in celebration -- giving Colorado another chance. Oklahoma beat the Red Raiders twice this season, including a controversial 69-64 overtime win in Norman. The Big 12 determined there were two timing errors in the final seven seconds of regulation, when Price drove the length of the court for a tying shot to force overtime. Pelle drove for the opening basket of Friday's game for Colorado's only lead. Oklahoma eventually built its lead to 28-16 on a 3-pointer by Price, the third straight for the Sooners. Alexander started the long-range streak when he banked a 3-pointer, holding his hands out as he walked away as if he meant to do it that way. On the next possession, he made a 3-pointer from the right corner -- hitting nothing but net. Bookout had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting before becoming the second Sooner to foul out with 3:10 left. David Harrison was the only Colorado player in double figures
with 12 points.
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