Sooners survive and advance at Old Spice Classic
November 22, 2012 by OUHoops
Filed under Featured, Latest News, Men's Basketball
Lon Kruger’s Oklahoma basketball team is beginning to make a habit out of winning ugly.
But a win is a win and that’s exactly what the Sooners did despite blowing a 16-point lead in their 68-61 victory over UTEP in the first round of the Old Spice Classic Thursday night in Orlando, Fla.
OU scored the first 15 points of the game and led by as many as 20 points with just over 14 minutes to go in the game, but sluggish offensive play against a triangle and two defense led to UTEP cutting the lead to as close as 64-60 with 1:44 to go in the game.
But just as he did when the game was tied last week against Texas-Arlington, senior guard Steven Pledger buried a huge three from the corner with 1:03 to go that ultimately was the knockout punch.
Senior Romero Osby led the way with his second-straight double-double — 16 points and 10 rebounds. He also added two blocks, a steal and four assists.
Pledger was the only other Sooner in double figures with 12.
Oklahoma (3-0) will play No. 17 Gonzaga (4-0) game on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CST). The game will be televised nationally on ESPN 2.
