Friday, March 20, 2009

OU Griffin overwhelming vs. Morgan State Bears

Post Game: The Sooners dominated in just about every way, outrebounding the Bears 45-36, shooting 60 percent while holding Morgan State to 29 percent and drawing only 11 fouls to Morgan State's 24.

Game Photo Gallery

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Morgan State's first visit to the NCAA tournament lasted only as long as likely national player of the year Blake Griffin wished for the Bears to linger around. The 15th-seeded Bears quickly learned a lesson that the bruised Big 12 absorbed all season: Griffin is one of the few players in the country capable of eviscerating an opponent on his own. The sophomore forward scored 28 points and added 13 rebounds while shooting 11-for-12 from the floor as second-seeded Oklahoma cruised to an 82-54 victory in a South Region first-round game at Sprint Center before 17,398.

With little hope of containing Griffin, the Bears resorted to tactics usually reserved for the realm of professional wrestling. Morgan State's Ameer Ali got tangled with Griffin chasing a rebound, then reached behind and slammed Griffin to the ground to earn an immediate ejection with 7:41 remaining. The Sooners (28-5) advanced to a second-round meeting with 10th-seeded Michigan (21-13) on Saturday.

Reggie Holmes scored 14 points to lead the Bears (23-12), the MEAC champions whose first NCAA appearance coincided with coach Todd Bozeman's return. He was just a few years removed from a decade in exile from the college game after incurring a show-cause penalty for infractions committed at California.

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