Sooners split at NCAAs

Sat, May 17 2008

— It was a good-news, bad-news sort of day for the University of Oklahoma basketball program Sunday.
The Sooner women started the NCAA Women’s Tournament with a 69-61 victory against Illinois State. But the OU men saw their season end with a second-round, 78-48 loss to Louisville in the men’s edition of the NCAAs.
The OU women, playing in West Lafayette, Ind., are back in action at 6 or 8:30 p.m. Tuesday against either Notre Dame or SMU.
They did it with balance Sunday, getting 13 points from Ashley Paris and 12 each from Rose Hammond, Danielle Robinson and All-American Courtney Paris.
OU was pushed by the Redbirds, who rallied from a 17-point deficit to get within three late before the Sooners held on.
“The name of the game is surviving and advancing,” Courtney Paris said.
That didn’t happen for the Sooner men on a day not much went right. Louisville controlled almost from the start, doubling up OU 44-22 at the break and pouring it on from there.
“I really can’t find a weakness in the way the guys played tonight,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. “They did a tremendous job.”
Senior David Godbold scored 15 points to lead the Sooners in his last collegiate game. Taylor Griffin added 11.
OU finishes with a 23-12 record.

Photos

Oklahoma Blake Griffin sits on the bench on the final minutes of their 78-48 loss to Louisville in the second half of a second round NCAA East Regional basketball game in Birmingham, Ala., Sunday, March 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Rogelio V.Soils)

Oklahoma forward Carlee Roethlisberger, right, and Illinois State guard Maggie Krick get tied up as the fight for a rebound in the first half of a first-round women's NCAA basketball tournament game in West Lafayette, Ind., Sunday, March 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)