Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sports Network) - Romero Osby registered a double-double
with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as the Oklahoma Sooners defeated
the Miners of Texas-El Paso, 68-61, in the opening round of the 2012 Old Spice
Classic at HP Field House.
Also scoring in double figures for the Sooners (3-0) was Steven Pledger who
delivered 12 points after shooting 3-of-6 behind the three-point line.
The Miners (1-2) were paced by Chris Washburn with 12 points, six rebounds and
three steals, followed by Julian Washburn and Jacques Streeter with 11 points
apiece in the team's second straight setback.
Oklahoma scored the first points of the contest and never looked back,
shooting 54.8 percent from the field in the first half in order to secure a
38-26 advantage at the break.
In the second half the lead ballooned to 20 points less than six minutes in,
but the Miners refused to go away quietly and slowly chipped away at the
deficit, before eventually coming away with the seven-point loss.
The Sooners held a 38-32 rebounding advantage and cleared 15 at the offensive
end of the floor which helped to make up for just 12-of-20 shooting at the
free-throw line.
Oklahoma will now take on the winner of the Clemson/Gonzaga contest in the
next round on Friday, while the Miners will match up with the loser on the
other side of the tournament bracket.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network