UW-Milwaukee ousts Oklahoma from NCAA Tournament

March 16, 2006

(#11 seed) UW-Milwaukee 82, (#6 seed) Oklahoma 74
Jacksonville, Fla. (AP) - The UW-Milwaukee Panthers have stopped surprising themselves in the NCAA tournament.

Pulling off their third major upset in two years, the 11th-seeded Horizon League champions got 26 points from Boo Davis and 24 points from Joah Tucker to eliminate No. 6 seed Oklahoma 82-74 in the Minneapolis Regional on Thursday.

Tucker, one of the stars in Milwaukee's stunning run to the round of 16 last season, scored nine during a 23-7 surge that carried the Panthers (22-8) to a 60-46 lead with just over seven minutes to go.

The closest Oklahoma (20-9), which fought back from a 10-point first-half deficit to briefly take the lead, got the rest of the way was six. Terrell Everett led the Sooners with 19 points, but most of his production came after it was too late.

With four starters back - but without coach Bruce Pearl, now at Tennessee - from the team that upset Alabama and Boston College before losing to eventual national finalist Illinois in last year's tournament, Milwaukee had both the experience and confidence necessary to get the job done again against an Oklahoma team that many felt underachieved in finishing third in the Big 12.

Inconsistency undermined the Sooners all season, and it looked like they could be in for a long afternoon when Tucker's high-arcing 3-pointer put Milwaukee up 24-14 with just over eight minutes left in the opening half.

But just as quickly as it appeared the game might be slipping away, Michael Neal hit a 3-pointer and Kevin Bookout made two easy baskets to start a 17-9 run that closed Oklahoma's deficit to 33-31 at the half.

The Sooners closed the gap despite playing the last three minutes of the half without Bookout, who walked off clutching his already taped left wrist after getting tangled with a Milwaukee player and tumbling to the floor.

The Oklahoma forward returned for the start of the second half with his wrist taped even more heavily and finished with 14 points. David Godbold had 15 points and leading scorer Taj Gray had 13 before fouling out in the closing minutes.

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