Oklahoma State University Athletics
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March 18, 2005 | Cowboy Basketball
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ JamesOn Curry hesitated for a split second, then jumped and let loose a 3-pointer right in front of his coach's seat.
When the shot fell through, the 19-year-old freshman didn't keep his excitement inside. He pumped his fist as he walked toward midcourt, giving second-seeded Oklahoma State the boost it needed in its 63-50 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Cowboys move on to play Southern Illinois in the Chicago Regional on Sunday.
``I thought it was a bad shot,'' Curry said. ``But it went in, so I guess it was a good shot.''
The 3-pointer put Oklahoma State ahead 54-47 with just under 4 minutes to play, and the Cowboys (25-6) held off the Lions (24-9) by making their next nine free throws down the stretch.
Once the Lions pulled within three points, it was Curry's enthusiasm that put the Cowboys over the top. He sliced into the lane and found Ivan McFarlin cutting to the basket for a layup, and he was only getting started.
He added a free throw, then found McFarlin for another basket inside to put Oklahoma State up 49-43. Terrence Crawford emphatically jammed home a miss by John Lucas III, and Curry hit his 3-pointer from the left wing in front of coach Eddie Sutton.
``Coach is always talking about playing with intensity and emotion,'' Curry said. ``That helps change the game a little bit. It makes it a little bit (more fun). ... Hopefully, that bit of energy can add to the guys and become contagious.''
McFarlin scored 18 points to lead the Cowboys, a Final Four team last season, and Curry scored 13.
The Lions, trying to become the fifth No. 15 seed to upset a second-seeded team, were within 44-41 midway through the second half after an 11-3 run fueled by Ricky Woods' ability to get inside and cause havoc.
Woods sank a leaning flip against Crawford, finished a whirling drive down the left side of the lane and grabbed a deflected pass for a two-handed jam, then drove the lane and dished off to Jonathan Walker to make it 42-39. Woods led the Lions with 16 points.
``Everybody just stayed together and we believed in ourselves that we could overcome adversity,'' Lions guard Jonathan Patton said. ``We stayed there tough with them, but the outcome wasn't that good for us.''
The teams traded free throws before Curry took charge _ first with the drive, and then with the shot. The freshman from North Carolina is the youngest player on the Cowboys' roster, which features five players who have already graduated and two more who'll get their degrees in May.
``He's just an outstanding player for his age,'' Sutton said. ``He has no fear. He's not afraid to take that shot.''
Southeastern Louisiana coach Billy Kennedy said the Lions executed their game plan by limiting Lucas and Joey Graham _ the Cowboys' top scorers _ but it simply wasn't enough.
``We had to play a perfect game and get some breaks, and I didn't think we got any breaks,'' Kennedy said.
Lucas and Graham had been averaging 18.1 points apiece, but Lucas finished with 12 and Graham _ who sat out for 5{ minutes after picking up his fourth foul with 7:05 left _ had a season-low seven points on only four shots.
``I've never seen him play as poorly as he did today,'' Sutton said. ``Sometimes he can disappear on you.''
Sutton picked up his 780th career win, passing Lou Henson for sixth place on the victories list. It also was his 350th win at Oklahoma State.
He gave credit to a partisan crowd at the Ford Center, which was about 80 percent filled with Cowboys fans wearing orange.
``I've been in 26 NCAA tournaments, and I have never seen a site where one school had that many people,'' Sutton said. ``I don't know what would have happened if they hadn't sent us here.''
The Cowboys jumped on top early with 11 straight points to take a 21-9 lead. The Lions fought back to get within 30-24 on a layup by Patton, the younger brother of Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson. Patton scored eight points as the Lions closed the gap with a 10-5 spurt.
Patton, who had 15 points at halftime, limped off the court with 12:09 remaining with an apparent right leg injury. He returned, still limping, with 2:49 left but did not score.
