Newz Forum: BASKETBALL: 700 club: Sutton tops Knight, Coach K improves to 7-1 against Cheney

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Joey Graham was too aggressive in the first half of Oklahoma State's 76-66 win over Texas Tech, accounting for five of his team's 14 first-half turnovers.

"But in the second half I was more patient and a lot of good things started happening for me," he said. "It was just a matter of letting the game come to you."

Graham had no turnovers in the second half Saturday and finished with 25 points -- including all 10 of his free throw attempts -- and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma State (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today; No. 7 AP).

In a meeting of coaches who have more than 1,600 combined wins, OSU's Eddie Sutton got his 766th victory -- and kept Tech's Bobby Knight at 840 wins. Sutton and Knight have a combined 74 years of coaching experience in Division I, with 39 years for Knight and 35 for Sutton.

The Cowboys (11-1, 1-0) used an 18-6 run to take a 60-53 lead with 8:24 remaining. Graham had four points, and his brother, Stephen Graham, had 10 during the run.

The Red Raiders (8-4, 0-1) answered with a 9-3 run, with five points by Ronald Ross and four by Jarrius Jackson, to pull within 68-66 with 2:50 remaining. But they could get no closer.

Ross scored 22 points and Devonne Giles added 20 for the Red Raiders.

John Lucas finished with 20 points for the Cowboys, hitting six 3-pointers -- including two in a row in the final 6 minutes. Ivan McFarlin added 14 points.

"We said, 'As long as we stay together, we can win this," Lucas said. "When we got on top our intensity kept getting higher, and once we got on top I knew it was over."

Oklahoma State, which has averaged 14 turnovers this season, had 23 against Texas Tech.

"Their defense was the best we've seen them play this season," said Oklahoma State assistant coach James Dickey, who preceded Knight as Tech's coach. "We're happy to get out of here with a win."

Sutton did not attend a post-game news conference, sending Dickey in his place.

The Cowboys outrebounded Tech 38-22.

"They really beat us badly on the boards," Knight said. "We don't really execute fundamental things during the game and those are things we need to keep getting better at if we're going to win."

Texas Tech led 36-29 at halftime. Oklahoma State pulled into a 47-all tie on the first of two free throws by Stephen Graham with 11:46 remaining, and took the lead on his second shot.

Knight said there were two different games.

"We played pretty well in the first half, and I think we played about 25 minutes pretty well," he said. "They made some baskets when they had to."


ESPN

Duke 82, Temple 74

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Tired of watching his vaunted matchup zone allow open shots, Temple coach John Chaney tried a triangle-and-two and even some man-to-man.

It was the ultimate sign of respect for Daniel Ewing and J.J. Redick, and one that was well-deserved.

The Duke duo combined for 46 points and nine 3-pointers, leading the fifth-ranked Blue Devils over the Owls 82-74 Saturday in a matchup of Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski and John Chaney.

"Daniel really led us," Coach K said. "He was 3-for-11 in the first half, and for him to have the courage to step forward like that, that's why he's our leader. He's been a heck of a player for us."

Ewing finished with 24 points, and Redick scored 22 for Duke (11-0), which starts the bulk of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule next week against North Carolina State. Shelden Williams added 10.

Mardy Collins continued to flourish in his role as point guard, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals for Temple (5-6).

"He wasn't a point guard when I got him, I've done a hell of a job with him," Chaney quipped. "He's a bona fide point guard now, he's as tough as they come."

Teammate Dustin Salisbery had a career-high 21 points.

Krzyzewski improved to 7-1 against Chaney, including five straight wins. The coaches were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame together in 2001, and they are two of only six active coaches with at least 700 victories.

Combined, they have 1,418, and despite the loss, Chaney appeared to have a good time afterward, spending several minutes posing for pictures with Duke fans.

"This was a very positive game for both teams," Krzyzewski said. "The other team wasn't going to lose a game like this, you had to win it."

Temple hung in throughout, getting within five points four times in the second half. The Blue Devils had an answer each time, mostly from Ewing.

After the Owls cut it to 60-55, Ewing got in the passing lane for a steal and drove the length of the court for an open dunk, then followed with a 3-pointer to increase the margin to 10.

"We just couldn't get a stop when we needed it," Collins said. "They matched everything we did."

Later, Ewing made another 3 after Wayne Marshall's putback cut the lead to 67-62, then matched a long-range jumper by Dustin Salisbery to put Duke ahead by seven.

Redick helped seal it from there at the free throw line, although he did miss one of his six attempts, leaving him 63-for-68 this season.

"It was all Daniel," Redick said. "His play in the second half got us going. He was just huge."

The Blue Devils shot a season-high 34 3-pointers, thanks to the Owls' trademark defense. Several times, Redick made shots from several steps behind the line, leaving Temple freshman Mark Tyndale shaking his head.

"We lost our focus as far as Redick," Chaney said. "He hit a couple of shots there when we have a freshman on him. He had done a great job, but he got mixed up and ran to where the ball was, rather than staying where Redick was."

Tyndale had his struggles on offense, too. After finishing 1-for-20 earlier this week against Massachusetts, he was 4-for-16 in this one, leaving him at 26 percent for the season.

ESPN