Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Memphis
Cowboys Advance To Sweet Sixteen With 70-53 Win
March 21, 2004 | Cowboy Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Oklahoma State wasted little time in advancing to the NCAA tournament's round of 16.
The Cowboys, who let Eastern Washington hang around in the opening round, took control early and put away Memphis 70-53 Sunday.
Joey Graham's 21 points - all but one of those coming in the first half - led the Cowboys (29-3). They will meet either Wisconsin or Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Oklahoma State, the second seed in the East Rutherford Regional, led 41-19 after a first half in which it shot 68 percent (17-for-23) and outrebounded the Tigers 17-6.
It was the most lopsided loss this season for the Tigers (22-8), and it could have been worse.
The Cowboys led 54-27 with 14 minutes left before Memphis responded with a 10-0 run. That started a 23-9 surge, capped by Rodney Carney's 3-pointer with 3:38 left, that got Memphis within 63-50.
The Tigers only managed Antonio Burks' 3 after that as Oklahoma State clinched its first regional semifinal berth since 2000.
Daniel Bobik went 3-for-4 from the line down the stretch for Oklahoma State.
Memphis, which has not advanced past the second round since 1995, managed just two offensive boards in the first half and 11 for the game, compared to 20 defensive rebounds for the Cowboys.
Ivan McFarlin and John Lucas each scored 13 points for the Cowboys, and McFarlin had 10 rebounds. Bobik added 13 points for Oklahoma State.
Lucas led the Cowboys with five assists - only four fewer than Memphis had as a team.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State's perimeter defense kept Memphis' shooters in check for most of the game.
Burks was 3-for-5 from 3-point range and led the Tigers with 21 points, but two of those came in the final four minutes with the game all but out of reach. Sean Banks had two 3s and 11 points.
But Carney, whose six 3-pointers in a first-round win over South Carolina were a tournament record for the Tigers, was 1-for-5 from long range and scored eight points Sunday under intense defensive pressure from the Cowboys' Tony Allen.
A 12-1 run, capped by Graham's dunk, gave Oklahoma State a 21-8 lead eight minutes into the first half. He went 3-for-3 from outside the arc in the last six minutes of the half and added a dunk at the buzzer.
