OU-OSU Stats/Highlights/Notes/Quotes

[OUHoops]

Stats: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2012-2013/mb021613.html

Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VFirFckqYOM

Notes: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/021613aab.html

Oklahoma Team Notes
Oklahoma never trailed in the second half but lost 84-79 in overtime at No. 17/16 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys took the lead for the first time after halftime (78-77) with 1:37 left in the extra session.

The overtime game was the first of the year for the Sooners. The Cowboys improved to 3-0 in overtime contests this season.

After falling behind by 11 (19-8), OU ended the first half on a 27-8 run to lead 35-27 at intermission. The Sooners led by as many as 11 in the second half (45-34 with 17:30 remaining).

OU led by eight at halftime and shot .609 from the field in the second half, but OSU was 15-for-20 from the free throw line in the second 20 minutes while the Sooners were 7-for-11 to help force overtime.

Oklahoma outshot the Cowboys from the field .475 to .435 and posted a 41-36 rebounding advantage.

Only 14 turnovers were committed in the game. OU's nine turnovers were its second fewest of the year (had seven Monday vs. TCU), while OSU's five were a season low by three.

OU senior Sam Grooms came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points on 9-for-11 field goal shooting and handed out four assists in a season-high 35 minutes. His previous scoring high this season was seven points on two occasions.

Senior Romero Osby finished with 18 points and an OU-season-high 15 rebounds for his third double-double of the year (first since the third game of the season). He scored 10 points over the final 6:21 of regulation.

Senior Steven Pledger started the game 1-for-6 from the field then made his next six attempts. He finished the game with 18 points (tied for his second most of the season) and two assists in 42 minutes. Pledger passed Blake Griffin on OU's all-time scoring list and now ranks 18th with 1,283 points.

Freshman Je'lon Hornbeak started in place of injured Buddy Hield and registered 10 points with the help of a career-high-tying three 3-pointers on six attempts. He played 31 minutes and did not commit a turnover.

OU made two more field goals than OSU but was outscored by nine at the free throw line. OSU was 24-for-33 at the stripe (.727) while the Sooners were 15-for-21 (.714).

The Sooners play again on Wednesday at Texas Tech. The game will tip at 6 p.m. and be televised by ESPNU.

Quotes: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/021613aaa.html

Head Coach Lon Kruger ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On the overtime loss:
"It's a tough loss, sure, but a really good basketball game. I thought guys on both teams played their hearts out. It was a big-time battle from start to finish. Guys on both teams made a lot of big-time plays. Defense was having a tough time getting stops. I'm proud of our guys. Disappointed in not finishing it, but we got beat by a really good Oklahoma State ball club. We'll grow from this. We've got to keep making progress. There's a lot of the season left, and we'll keep getting better. I'm proud of our guys. They'll bounce back from this."

On Romero Osby in the last possession of regulation:
"[Romero] had done such a good job carrying us down the stretch there in the second half. We were trying to get him isolated there and give him some options. Oklahoma State did a good job of covering it. He was terrific as he's been all season."

On senior Sam Grooms:
"Sam played great. I thought he battled it all day long and was a big reason we were in good position late. He was attacking, he handled the pressure very well in the backcourt, and he played great. He'll remember the couple turnovers there late. His significance in the game was terrific, he played great, and we wouldn't have been in that position if he hadn't played how he did."

On Selection Sunday:
"We're not at all concerned about it. If Selection (Sunday) was today, I might have some feelings about that. I'd feel pretty good about it. Our guys have done a great job. But we have a lot of games left, and a lot of work to do, and we'll approach it like we always need one more. We'll work on getting better."

Senior Forward Romero Osby ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

On going into overtime after the OSU comeback:
"We came into it with high spirits. We thought we still had an opportunity to win the game. We weren't down because we had been up most of the game or anything like that. That's the case with some teams, but we just tried to keep it together and stay poised. We knew we had an opportunity to win it."

On the atmosphere in Gallagher-Iba Arena:
"Like Sam [Grooms] said, it was great. The rivalry speaks for itself, but having an opportunity to play in front of a packed house is always good. As a basketball player, you live for that. I just wish we could have come out with the win."

On turning up his game in the second half:
"There was one play where I drove down the baseline and made a bucket, and that kind of got me going a little bit. In the first half, I was really just focused on defensive rebounding. I took some tough shots and didn't make them, but I kind of got into a groove in the second half. There were a couple of nice rebounds and passes that got me started."

Senior Guard Sam Grooms ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

On turning the ball over in a critical situation:
"For the whole game, I was just trying to attack, make plays and soften up the pressure that they were putting on us. As far as the last couple of plays, I don't really know how to explain it. I just lost the basketball. I'll remember that, but I'll move on."

On the atmosphere in Gallagher-Iba Arena:
"I think the atmosphere was great. I haven't been around for that long, but from my understanding, it felt like an old-fashioned game in here. It was loud, intense and it was a fun atmosphere to play in. Of course, we wanted to get a win in that atmosphere to go back home with, but it was great."

On the team not being able to capitalize in late-game situations:
"It hurts to come out of here without the win. At the same time though, we learned a lot of things as a team that can help us grow in the future. That's what we're looking forward to. We have to go forward into the next game and through the rest of the season. We'll work hard for next week."

Head Coach Travis Ford ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

On the Bedlam victory:
"I'm so proud of our basketball team. I've got a lot of respect for Oklahoma as well. They're a very well coached, very good basketball team. I thought that our kids showed a lot of heart. I think the fan support played a role this afternoon. Gallagher-Iba being rowdy again was a big key. I thought we just played hard. Oklahoma really punched us hard and played really well. We just made big plays down the stretch. That was the key. We made a couple of big plays in the first half when we lost the lead, and got it back a little bit. I'm very proud of our basketball team and how hard they played. What a great game. What a great game for the fans to see, and I hope they come back."

On the offense and defending Oklahoma:
"I was very upset with a lot of shots that we were taking. We got in the bonus very early in both halves, and we started settling for jumpshots. In the first half, I thought we did way too much one-on-one with no ball movement. At halftime all we talked about was ball movement and attack. We improved offensively, but we couldn't stop them. It was crazy. As you saw, we change defenses every three or four possessions to see what was going to work. But give Oklahoma credit. I have a lot of respect for their basketball team, and had before the year started. They create matchup problems for everybody, and definitely for us."

On defending Steven Pledger and Sam Grooms:
"[Steven] Pledger went on about a three-minute tear where he was just making everything. Marcus [Smart] asked to guard him. He took that as a personal challenge, and he did a great job. Then the matchup with Markel [Brown] and Grooms was pretty good. He kept letting him drive. He thought he had four fouls, but at the time he did not, he had three. He was playing very hesitant. [Romero] Osby is hard to stop. He's such a mismatch problem. They do a good job of countering with him, and getting Pledger a stop. Give credit to them, but give credit to our guys for making plays. We had big steals, a big blocked shot by Marcus, a big and-one by Le'Bryan Nash. You can't single out any one guy on our team because so many guys made big plays."