January 10, 1998
Oklahoma used a 15-2 run late in the second half to hold off Texas A&M for a 76-66 Big 12 Conference victory Saturday afternoon at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
After trailing by as many as 13 points late in the first half, the Aggies rallied to tie the game, 56-56, on a lay-up by Shanne Jones with 7:49 left to play. A&M then missed four shots and had two turnovers on its next six possessions, allowing Oklahoma to take a 61-56 lead with 6:17 remaining.
Brian Barone nailed a short jumper to trim the lead to 61-58 with 5:25 left, but the Sooners responded with 10 unanswered points, including five from the free throw line, for a 71- 58 lead with just 1:30 remaining. The Aggies could come no closer than nine points in the final minute.
The Sooners (12-4 overall, 3-0 in Big 12 play) jumped out to a 14-4 lead just five minutes into the game but A&M came back to cut the margin to 21-18 with 7:28 left in the half on a three-point play by Jones. Oklahoma re-assumed control and took its biggest lead at 36-23 with 1:27 left in the half. The Sooners led, 38-27, at intermission.
Jones led the Aggies with 13 points while Barone added a career-high 12 points with seven assists and three steals. Larry Thompson scored 10 points with eight rebounds while Aaron Jack added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Corey Brewer led Oklahoma with a game-high 19 points, Evan Wiley scored 15 points and Eric Martin and Michael Johnson each added 12 points. Eduardo Najera scored seven points with a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Aggies made just 38.2 percent from the field, including 15.8 percent from three-point range (3-of-19). It marked the third straight game that the Aggies have made less than 40 percent from the field. The Sooners made 43.1 percent, including 38.5 percent from three-point range (5- of-13).
The Aggies posted a 44-40 rebounding edge and forced 22 Oklahoma turnovers but were whistled for 29 fouls to only 17 for the Sooners. Oklahoma made 27-of-38 from the line (71.1 percent) while the Aggies made just 11-of-19 (57.9 percent).
The Aggies play host to No. 4-ranked Kansas Wednesday at 7 p.m. at G. Rollie White Coliseum. The Sooners play host to Texas Monday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.