December 23, 2003

Coach unrepentant after 70-point rout

After 14th-ranked Oklahoma overwhelmed Arkansas-Pine Bluff 94-24, coach Kelvin Sampson refrained from apologizing. "It's hard to back off when every kid is a really good player,� he said.

The 24 points were the fewest by an Oklahoma opponent since a 49-21 win over Warrensburg (Mo.) College in 1947.

Oklahoma led 48-9 at halftime. At that point, the Golden Lions had almost twice as many turnovers (23) as shot attempts (13). When UAPB�s Jamaal Bibles hit a 3 early in the second half that put his team into double-digits, the crowd cheered wildly. The Golden Lions were limited to just nine field goals and 21% shooting. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is playing 11 of its first 12 games on the road, and has lost its first four games by an average of 38 points.

"It doesn't matter if you win by two points or 70. In the end, it's a win," Sampson said. What a class guy.