Jan. 4, 2010

Box Score

Norman, Okla. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team trailed early and never recovered, as the Oklahoma Sooners handed the Hawks a sound defeat Monday, 88-54.

The Sooners never trailed and looked impressive on both ends of the floor in front of over 9,000 fans at the Lloyd Noble Center. Freshman center Sean Berry (Irvington, N.J.) posted the second double-double of the season for the Hawks, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds, both team highs.

"The Big XII is a tough conference," said UMES head coach Frankie Allen. "Oklahoma played well in all phases of the game tonight. They are going to be a force in the conference."

The Sooners' Cade Davis scored the first seven points of the game and finished with a game high 19. Oklahoma posted nine unanswered points to take an 18-4 lead eight minutes into the game. Davis was one of four players in double figures for the Sooners.

A lay-up by Oklahoma's Orlando Allen pushed the Sooners lead to 20, 34-14, before the Hawks responded with a 5-0 spurt of their own with seven minutes to play in the first half. A lay-up by junior Kevin White (Brooklyn, N.Y.) followed a 3-pointer by redshirt sophomore Hillary Haley (Oxon Hill, Md.).

That is as close as the Hawks would get, however, as the Sooners ended the half with their largest lead, 49-27. UMES committed 11 first half turnovers, resulting in a dozen Oklahoma points.

"We got blitzed in that first half," said Allen. "They never laid off the gas pedal. To our guys' credit, though, we never backed down."

Both Haley and White finished in double figures, scoring 13 and 14 points, respectively. The Sooners continued to apply full-court defensive pressure throughout the second half, and pushed their lead to as large as 39.

UMES shot just 30 percent from the floor (18-60), while Oklahoma hit 11 3-point shots (34 attempts).

UMES returns home Saturday to host conference opponent South Carolina State at 4 pm.