LOCAL

Teachers Pay Half Of Superintendents
Hate Crimes

Teachers Pay Half Of Superintendents

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The average school superintendent in Oklahoma makes more than twice the average teacher.

And the disparity in pay is growing.

‘‘It’s really common knowledge in Oklahoma education that the farther away you are from the kids, the more money you make,’’ said Oklahoma City teacher Cynthia Fravel, a 24-year teaching veteran who holds a master’s degree.

Indeed, pay rates for the state’s school superintendents have grown twice as fast as those of teachers over the last six years, according to an analysis of numbers from the state Education Department.

In a copyright story, The Sunday Oklahoman reports the average superintendent in the state made $64,900 in salary and benefits in 1998-99, the year of the latest complete figures available.

Teachers earned an average $31,200.

The disparity is even greater in Ponca City.

Superintendent Dr. Bill White recently received a raise that boosts his 1999 salary of $90,800 by $1,092 a month.

White was unavailable for comment, but assistant superintendent Dr. Joe Surber defended the increase.

“You don’t fix the problem by lowering the superintendent’s pay,” Surber noted. “You do it by raising teachers’ salaries.”

Surber added that White is responsible for a $23 million budget in the Ponca City school district and oversees a staff of more than 600 people.

“Where in private industry do you find a CEO with that kind of responsibility and staff making less than $300-$400 thousand per year?” Surber asked.

But efforts are under way in the Legislature to make some smaller districts share superintendents, which officials hope would cut into the $118.5 million spent on administrative costs last year.

In 1996-97, numbers from the National Council on Education show only Alaska and North Dakota spent a higher percentage of their school budgets on district administrative costs than Oklahoma.

But state Superintendent Sandy Garrett said superintendents are not the only ones to blame. She said superintendent pay packages accounted for only 1 percent of the state’s $3.6 billion education budget. Administrative costs also include annual school district audits, travel for school board members, school elections, insurance and other expenses.

Garrett suggested lowering the percentage that school districts can spend on administrative costs.d at 8 percent.

State Education Secretary Floyd Coppedge said administrative costs can be reduced by having schools share centralized administrative services such as transportation and maintenance.

(Editor’s Note — Sally Hodges, Ponca City News staff writer, also contributed to this story.)

Hate Crimes

Oklahoma City (AP)

Hate crime is alive in Oklahoma. Just ask Ed and Cathy Williams.

The Jewish couple’s Choctaw home has been firebombed and spray-painted with swastikas. They’ve endured telephone death threats. Williams was once assaulted in his yard.

Authorities have investigated but no arrests have been made.

Now, the Williamses are moving.

‘‘Three years ago, we said we weren’t going to move, we weren’t going to let them win. But I could fight back, then,’’ said Williams, who has developed a progressive neuromuscular disease and can no longer walk.

The couple is not alone among victims of hate crime in Oklahoma.

There were 74 hate crimes committed in the state in 1998. Authorities said half were acts of vandalism and 42 percent were committed by whites.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation is required to track hate crimes and report the statistics to the FBI, said spokeswoman Kym Koch.

The numbers show blacks are targeted 40 percent of time — more than five times the number of hate crimes against homosexuals.

The mostly Hispanic congregation at Cristo Rey Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City had a brush with hate in October.

Trinidad Castaneda said vandals stole and destroyed church property, but also left disturbing messages behind. White power. KKK. A swastika.

Castaneda said it was the first time any racial slogans had been used in acts of vandalism against the church.

‘‘I’m confused about that,’’ he said. Members know they’re ‘‘in a strange country that isn’t theirs and some people don’t accept them,’’ he said. ‘‘Still, we haven’t felt any kind of racist things in the past.’’

Kathy Carroll is the executive director of the Oklahoma City office of the National Conference for Community and Justice. She said what sets a hate crime apart from other acts of vandalism or violence is that it is meant as a message to a larger group.

‘‘They get some satisfaction in damaging property or (injuring) a person, but they’re sending a larger message of, ’We don’t want you here,’’’ Carroll said. ‘‘The harm is done not just to the person but the community that person represents.’’

Proving attacks such as the Cristo Rey vandalism are hate crimes is not always easy, said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Nate Tarver.

Even if police can identify suspects, prosecutors have to show a history of racial bias on the part of the vandals before they can be prosecuted under the hate crimes ordinance, he said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has been fighting hate crimes for several years, mailing booklets about the subject to citizens, educators and law enforcement in American communities.

Spokesman Mark Potok said the ugliness of a hate crime can cause those in the community in which it happens to examine themselves. He cited Jasper, Texas, where James Byrd was dragged to death in June 1998.

‘‘The initial reaction there was, ’That’s not us. We’re not racist. We’re 40 percent black. We have a black mayor,’’’ Potok said. ‘‘But in fact, when the town really took a hard look at itself, it turned out there was a fairly great divide between blacks and whites.’’

He said the town has made great strides since Byrd’s death, including removing a century-old iron fence that divided the black and white sections of the cemetery.

DEATHS

Byron L. Metzger
John A. Smith
Services Pending
Martha Jo Roady
Funerals

Byron L. Metzger

Byron L. Metzger, son of Elouise Butler Weichman, died March 11, 2000, in San Diego, Calif. He was 46.

The funeral will be held Wednesday, March 22, 2000, at 2 p.m. at the home of William Dale in Kaw City with the Rev. Donny Butler officiating. A dinner will be served at noon at the home. Burial will follow at Washunga Cemetery in Newkirk under the direction of Trout Funeral Home.

Byron was born Aug. 14, 1953, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended San Diego schools.

He is survived by his wife, Naomi Metzger; son, Todd C. Metzger; stepdaughter, Stephanie Kremer; mother; brother, Martin A. Metzger; and sister, Ruth Hayes, all of San Diego.

Obituaries

John A. Smith

John A. Smith, resident of Ponca City, died Friday evening, March 17, 2000, at his home. He was 90.

The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2000, at the First Christian Church with the Rev. Kent Dorsey presiding, assisted by the Rev. Charles Heyer. Burial will be at the Longwood Cemetery under the direction of Grace Memorial Chapel.

John A. Smith was born July 15, 1909, in Ponca City, the son of Delbert William Smith and Cora Lee (Doughty) Smith. He was married to Ruby Fay Hurst on Oct. 28, 1933, in Newkirk. Mrs. Smith died on Dec. 21,1985. He later married Deloris May Struble Larimer on March 26, 1988, in El Dorado, Kan. The couple have made their home in Ponca City.

Mr. Smith was a member of the First Christian Church and a life-time member of the International Order of Odd Fellows. His church was of utmost importance in his life. He also enjoyed gardening and watching the Atlanta Braves on television.

He is survived by his wife, Deloris of the home; one stepson, Cleo Larimer of El Dorado, Kan.; two brothers, Harold Smith of Wilson, Okla., and Henry H. Hart of Marshalltown, Iowa; seven grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; 12 nieces and 14 nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife; two brothers, Glen Hart and Delbert Smith; and one sister, Thelma Irene Hurst.

Casket bearers will be Arthur Kirchenbauer, Clinton Kirchenbauer, Gary Kirchenbauer, Okla Hurst, Jeff Larimer and Lane Larimer. Honorary casket bearers will be Harry Anderson, John Miner and Frank Walker.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Ponca City, 1904 North Union, Suite 103, Ponca City, Okla. 74601.

The family will be at 1041 North Second.

paid obituary

Services Pending

Martha Jo Roady

Martha Jo Roady, Ponca City resident, died Monday morning, March 20, 2000, at Shawn Manor. She was 61. Local survivors include her husband, Charles D. Roady. Arrangements are pending with Trout Funeral Home.

Funerals

Tuesday

Charles C. Yeakley Jr. — Funeral at 10 a.m. in the chapel of the First Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Trout Funeral Home.

Chad Allen Lewman — Funeral at 2 p.m. in the Christ’s Church in Newkirk. Burial will follow in the Washunga Cemetery in Newkirk under the direction of Miller-Stahl Funeral Service.

LIFESTYLES

Newkirk Group Announces Plans

Newkirk Group Announces Plans

NEWKIRK — Members of the Newkirk Promotion Committee met March 9 at Pizza Town to complete work on the annual work plans. In response to Oklahoma Main Street recommendations, the committee added two new retail promotions to the year’s calendar. Members are meeting with retailers to discuss extra promotions.

Program Manager Karen Dye attended a regional meeting in Perkins on March 10. Representatives from Perry, Cushing, Enid, Stillwater and Shawnee also attended. The upcoming National Town meeting in Boston was discussed as well as a brief evaluation of the February training session in Duncan. The next meeting is scheduled for June in Perry. A road trip to Edmond to view new buildings in the historic downtown was also discussed.

NEWS BRIEFS

Fraud — A teller from a bank at the intersection of North Fourteenth Street and East Prospect Avenue reported to the Ponca City Police department at 10:03 a.m. Saturday that a counterfeit $50 bill had been received. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Stormescape Shelters, perfect for garage, under vehicle, installation. $1,695. 765-2633. adv.

Shoplifting — An employee at Wal-Mart, 1101 East Prospect Avenue reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 12:16 p.m. Saturday that a woman was in custody for shoplifting. An officer was assigned and a 28-year-old woman was held for grand larceny.

Patio, French and terrace doors. We sell and install. Ponca

Glass, 300 West Highland and Pine, 762-6522. adv.

Gas Taken — A clerk at Triple T, 720 South Waverly Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 12:36 p.m. Saturday that $32 worth of diesel had been taken by subjects without paying. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Free Pregnancy test. Birth Choice cares. Confidential.

Hours: Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, 1-3 p.m. and Thursday, 6-

8 p.m. 700 West Broadway. 765-9689. adv.

Accident — A vehicle accident one-half mile east of Blackwell on Oklahoma 11 was reported to the Communications Center at 12:49 p.m. Saturday. The Blackwell Police Department and Oklahoma Highway Patrol were notified.

25 Cents a gallon drinking water. Pure Water Wagon 1717 N.

5th. adv.

Shoplifter — An employee at Country General, 3008 North Fourteenth Street, reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 1:14 p.m. Saturday that a man was in custody for shoplifting. An officer was assigned and an 18-year-old man was held for petit larceny.

Wallet Stolen — A man from the 2100 block of North Union Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 1:18 p.m. Saturday that his wallet had been taken. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Property Not Returned — An employee of Colortyme, 2709 North Fourteenth Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 1:44 p.m. Saturday that some rental property had not been returned. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Accident — A minor accident at the intersection of East Grand Avenue and Fourteenth Street was reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 2:28 p.m. Saturday. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Shoplifter — An employee at Wal-Mart, 1101 East Prospect Avenue reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 2:35 p.m. Saturday that a man was in custody for shoplifting. An officer was assigned and a 44-year-old man was held for petty larceny and public intoxication.

Vandalism — A man person from the 2200 block of North Fourteenth Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 12:18 a.m. Monday that some sugar had been put in a gas tank of a vehicle. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Bicycle Stolen — An officer of the Ponca City Police Department took a report at 2:47 p.m. Saturday from the 100 block of North Elm Street that a bicycle had been stolen.

Bitten by Dog — An employee at the emergency room of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 3:38 p.m. Saturday that an adult and juvenile were being treated after being bitten by a dog.

Subject Held — An officer of the Ponca City Police Department reported from the 100 block of North Elm Street at 3:49 p.m. that a 17-year-old boy was being held for grand larceny.

Vandalism — A man from the 3700 block of Larkspur reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 3:54 p.m. Saturday that a vehicle had been vandalized Friday night. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Accident — An accident at the intersection of North Third Street and East Chestnut Avenue was reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 4:27 p.m. Saturday. An officer was assigned and information was logged that drivers had exchanged information.

Fire Run — A request was made at 5:42 p.m. Saturday that the fire department send units to a fire in the 300 block of West Broadway Avenue. An officer of the Ponca City Police Department assisted in the situation.

Suspicious Activity — A man from the 500 block of East Comanche Avenue reported to the Ponca City Police Department that someone had given him a puppy and someone else was attempting to get the puppy. An officer was assigned and ownership of the puppy was made, and a warrant request was made on information for obtaining property under false pretenses.

Hit and Run — A man from the 2200 block of Turner Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 8:24 p.m. Saturday that a vehicle had backed into a brick mailbox and knocked it down, and left the scene. An officer was assigned and a hit and run accident report was taken.

Sign Damaged — A woman from the 500 block of East Grand Avenue at 4:28 p.m. Sunday that a vehicle had hit a sign. An officer was assigned and information was logged that a sign by the statue in that block had been messed up.

Bicycle Stolen — A person from the 100 block of Hillside Avenue reported to the Ponca City Police Department that a bicycle had been stolen from the residence. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Suspicious Activity — The Communications Center received a request from a man in the 400 block of South Lake Street at 5:30 p.m. Sunday concerning a relationship of a 13-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old man. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Assault — An employee of the emergency room at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 9:49 p.m. Saturday that a man was being treated for injuries to his head after being hit by a pipe while in the 400 block of South Fourth Street. An officer was assigned and information was logged.

Subjects Held — A woman at the intersection of Hubbard Road and North Union Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 1:50 a.m. Sunday that a suspicious vehicle was being followed. Officers were assigned and stopped the vehicle at the intersection of North Union Street and Emporia Avenue, where a 46-year-old man was held for public intoxication and a 41-year-old man was held for DUI and driving left of center.

House Vandalized — A woman from the 500 block of South Lincoln Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 7:06 a.m. Sunday that someone had thrown a brick against her house Saturday night. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Fraud — A woman from the 1100 block of South Fifth Street reported to the Ponca City Police Department at 7:44 a.m. Sunday that she had given information to another subject and was concerned that there may be evidence of a scam. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Subject Held — An officer of the Ponca City Police Department reported from the 100 block of South Ash Street at 12:16 p.m. Sunday that a 30-year-old woman was being held on a Kay County warrant for malicious injury to property.

Accident — The Communications Center received a report at 1:51 p.m. Sunday that a vehicle had rolled over three miles south on Old River Road. Information was logged.

Fire Run — The Communications Center received information at 12:50 a.m. Monday that a fire was burning in the 800 block of South Fifth Street. The Ponca City Fire Department responded, gained entry to the structure, but was unable to locate any fir or victims. Information was logged.

SPORTS

TU Returns To NCAA Semifinals
OSU Tops Perrerdine Eyes Seton Hall In Bid for Final Four
Cowboys Sweep KU On Pitching
Sooners Fall To Huskers In Twinbill
OU Women Face Purdue

TU Returns To NCAA Semifinals

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Leonard Hamilton has spent 10 years at Miami, trying to build the Hurricanes into a top basketball program. Bill Self craves national exposure for Tulsa, which consistently finds its way to the NCAA tournament.

Both coaches might be about to get what they want.

Hamilton’s Hurricanes upset No. 3 seed Ohio State 75-62 in the South Regional on Sunday to reach the round of 16 for the first time. They will play Tulsa, which beat No. 2 seed Cincinnati 69-61 to reach its third regional semifinal in seven years, on Friday in Austin, Texas.

‘‘Each time we win a game, each time we take another step forward, we’re making history for our basketball program,’’ Hamilton said.

Hamilton, a candidate to replace Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech, hasn’t had it easy at a school where football rules and the basketball team doesn’t have an on-campus arena to play its games.

He convinced Johnny Hemsley, Vernon Jennings and center Mario Bland to help him four years ago, a decision that paid off this weekend for a program that now has as many NCAA victories (three) in the past two seasons as invitations to play in the tournament.

‘‘People now are beginning to realize we’re a good basketball school,’’ Bland said. ‘‘It does feel good.’’

The Hurricanes ended Ohio State’s bid to return to a second straight Final Four with their trademark — physical play and good shooting. Hemsley and Jennings helped harass Ohio State guards Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd into horrible nights as the duo combined for just 12-of-31 from the floor. Penn scored eight of his 19 points late in the game after Redd fouled out.

Ohio State (23-7) tied the game at 50 late in the second half, only to see Miami respond with a 14-0 run to seal the victory.

Buckeyes coach Jim O’Brien was disappointed that the end finally came for his team, but he was happy for Hamilton, who used to call him regularly for advice when he was still at Boston College on reviving basketball at a school.

‘‘Leonard has done a magnificent job with that program,’’ O’Brien said.

Now the sixth-seeded Hurricanes (23-10) are thinking about how far they can go as they work for a tradition that can stand with schools like Kentucky or Connecticut.

‘‘We think we can win the whole thing,’’ Salmons said.

For that to happen, Miami will have to do something No. 7 seed Tulsa hasn’t done — win in the semifinals. The Golden Hurricane (31-4) were routed by No. 1 Arkansas in 1994 and by No. 2 Massachusetts in 1995 in the round of 16.

‘‘These guys are self-motivated, but we do operate best when we feel our backs are against the wall no question about that,’’ Self said.

If Cincinnati and Ohio State had won, it would have set up the first meeting between the schools in 38 years. But the Bearcats, who beat Ohio State in 1961 and 1962 for their two national titles, couldn’t pull off their end without injured center Kenyon Martin.

Senior Ryan Fletcher said it’s tough not thinking of what could have been for a team that spent much of the year ranked No. 1 in the country.

‘‘Having Kenyon we probably wouldn’t even be in Nashville. We’d probably be a No. 1 seed in Cleveland,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s something that happened. You can’t change it.’’

With the All-American center out, Cincinnati (29-4) changed its offense. Coach Bob Huggins said that resulted in tougher shots than the Bearcats took all season. If Martin had played, he would have guarded Tulsa forward Eric Coley, who scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds.

Tulsa jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half, only to see the Bearcats play their way back into it.

But Cincinnati got too anxious and tried to pad its 50-45 lead. Quick shots led to Tulsa baskets as the Golden Hurricane put away the game with a 14-0 run. That was when the Bearcats missed Martin the most.

‘‘We probably were looking for him a little bit or wishing he was there,’’ Huggins said.

TULSA (31-4) 

Coley 6-9 4-7 16, Hill 1-9 0-0 3, Kurtz 2-8 0-1 4, Harrington 3-6 0-1 6, Heard 2-7 6-6 10, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Swanson 6-11 0-0 14, Reed 0-1 0-0 0, Shelton 4-10 4-6 14, K.Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, McDaniel 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-63 14-21 69.

CINCINNATI (29-4) 

Fletcher 5-9 2-3 13, Mickeal 5-12 5-6 16, Little 1-2 0-0 2, D.Johnson 2-9 0-1 6, Satterfield 2-10 5-6 10, Tate 2-2 0-0 4, Stokes 0-0 0-0 0, Logan 2-10 4-4 10, Grove 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-54 16-20 61.

Halftime—Tulsa 31, Cincinnati 24. 3-Point Goals—Tulsa 5-20 (Shelton 2-3, Swanson 2-5, Hill 1-6, Harrington 0-2, Heard 0-4), Cincinnati 7-20 (Logan 2-4, D.Johnson 2-6, Satterfield 1-2, Mickeal 1-3, Fletcher 1-5). Fouled out—Mickeal. Rebounds—Tulsa 44 (Coley 16), Cincinnati 39 (Mickeal 11). Assists—Tulsa 12 (Coley, Heard 4), Cincinnati 10 (Satterfield 5). Total fouls—Tulsa 19, Cincinnati 19. Technical—Tate. A—17,297.

OSU Tops Perrerdine Eyes Seton Hall In Bid for Final Four

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Oklahoma State’s Cowboys suffered a scare against Pepperdine, but found their composure in time to post a 75-67 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament East Regional Sunday.

The Cowboys advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they will play upstart Seaton Hall.

Down 44-42 six minutes into the second half, the Cowboys reeled off an 18-4 run.

Fredrik Jonzen led the way with a career-high 21 points and nine assists, while Joe Adkins scored 18 points, including two clutch 3-pointers in the final six minutes.

The Cowboys (26-6) credited coach Eddie Sutton for keeping them cool under pressure, especially at the start when Oklahoma State committed three turnovers in the first two minutes and trailed 5-1.

‘‘Instead of going nuts like some coaches do, (Sutton) sat us down and said, ‘Look, now let’s start playing. You obviously know they can play. Relax and play,’’’ said point guard Doug Gottlieb, who finished with nine assists and five points.

‘‘That’s where his experience comes in, the fact that he’s been here before and won so many games.’’

The Cowboys, 4-4 in second-round games under Sutton, will make their first regional semifinal appearance since 1995.

The 11th-seeded Waves, who thrashed Indiana on Friday, left with their heads high, even if they didn’t join West Coast Conference rival Gonzaga in the next round.

‘‘Everybody knows about Pepperdine now,’’ said point guard Tezale Archie, who had a career-high 14 assists. ‘‘When we first got here, there wasn’t but two Pepperdine fans — our athletic director and his wife. By the end, half the building was chanting for us. We made a statement. Hopefully, we can start a dynasty.’’

Brandon Armstrong led Pepperdine (25-9) with 19 points, and Nick Sheppard had 13.

Seton Hall’s players did it for themselves, and they did it for their fallen teammate, Shaheen Holloway.

With Holloway in a wheelchair after severely spraining his left ankle, the Pirates were carried by backup point guard Ty Shine to a 67-65 overtime win over second-seeded Temple Sunday.

The upstart Pirates (22-9) proved to be the weekend’s clutch team, becoming the first team to win back-to-back overtime games since Louisville did it in 1980.

On Friday, it was Holloway’s end-to-end drive with 1.9 seconds left that lifted the Pirates to a 72-71 win over Oregon.

Sunday, his presence on the sidelines was enough to inspire his teammates.

‘‘I told everybody that we’re into this thing for Shaheen, because we owe him a lot,’’ said Pirates senior Rimas Kaukenas, recalling a pep talk he gave during a timeout late in the game. ‘‘He really helped to get us into this position. ... I was really excited that we could give him something back for whatever he gave us.’’

Added coach Tommy Amaker: ‘‘We drew closer in the face of adversity. ... Shaheen is our leader, and he had taken this team on his back and carried us so many times. It is nice to see the other players, and especially Ty, step up.’’

Holloway was injured eight minutes into the game when he appeared to step on a defender’s foot as he started to drive, then landed on the same foot as he came down.

Holloway began treatment on the injury immediately after the game, and the Pirates are holding out hope that he might be available for Friday’s game against Oklahoma State, which will be played at Syracuse.

Shine scored a career-high 26 points, and sealed the victory by sinking a 3-point shot with 18 seconds left to put the Pirates up 66-65.

‘‘I just tried to step up when I saw (Holloway) go down,’’ Shine said. ‘‘I was just ready for my opportunity. When I got into the game, we were kind of down. I just wanted to provide a boost.’’

The Pirates’ win ended Temple coach John Chaney’s hopes of reaching the Final Four for the first time in his career. Chaney has won 20 tournament games, and many considered this the 68-year-old coach’s best team.

‘‘This team certainly had a lot more talent and a lot more depth than any team I’ve had since I’ve been involved, but your best team isn’t always the team that wins,’’ Chaney said.

Mark Karcher led the Owls (27-6) with 27 points, while point guard Pepe Sanchez managed just six assists and two points before fouling out with 37 seconds left in regulation. The Owls didn’t help their cause, going 6-for-18 from the free-throw line.

‘‘We’re very disappointed and I feel very empty,’’ Sanchez said. ‘‘The tournament is very difficult to play in with a lot of pressure. I guess we were able to handle all the pressure and perform the way we had to perform. That makes us a good team not a great team. We got what we deserved.’’

OKLAHOMA STATE 75, PEPPERDINE 67

PEPPERDINE (25-9) 

Prince 4-9 0-1 8, Gibbs 2-10 1-2 5, Sheppard 5-6 3-5 13, Armstrong 7-16 2-3 19, Archie 3-10 0-0 7, Lewis 2-5 0-0 6, Minahan 0-0 0-0 0, Lalazarian 3-7 0-1 7, Suitt 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-64 6-12 67.

OKLAHOMA STATE (26-6) 

Montonati 5-10 1-6 11, Mason 5-10 1-2 13, Jonzen 7-13 7-8 21, Adkins 6-10 2-2 18, Gottlieb 2-3 1-2 5, Alexander 1-6 2-2 5, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Webber 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 26-53 16-24 75.

Halftime score—Oklahoma State 35, Pepperdine 31. 3-Point Goals—Pepperdine 7-32 (Armstrong 3-10, Lewis 2-5, Lalazarian 1-4, Archie 1-7, Prince 0-2, Gibbs 0-4), Oklahoma State 7-14 (Adkins 4-6, Mason 2-4, Alexander 1-4). Fouled out—Montonati. Rebounds—Pepperdine 31 (Gibbs 7), Oklahoma State 41 (Jonzen 9). Assists—Pepperdine 21 (Archie 14), Oklahoma State 17 (Gottlieb 9). Total fouls—Pepperdine 21, Oklahoma State 17.

Cowboys Sweep KU On Pitching

STILLWATER (AP) — Oklahoma State relied on pitching from Frank Bludau and Josh Merrigan to win two games of a doubleheader with Kansas.

Bludau allowed only five hits in seven innings in the first game Sunday as Oklahoma State won 12-0 in a contest that ended after 6 1-2 innings.

The Cowboys (14-8, 5-4 Big 12) got on the board with a second-inning homer from first-baseman Luke Scott and added to that with third-inning RBIs from Scott and second-baseman Rob Watson.

The Cowboys pulled away with 8 runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Merrigan gave up just four hits in seven innings in a 7-5 victory over the Jayhawks (15-10, 4-5 Big 12) in the second game. Rusty Rushing got the save.

At Stillwater

At Stillwater

Game One

Kansas 000 000 0 — 0 5 3

Oklahoma St 013 008 — 12 10 0

Smart, Schmidt, Williams and Del Chiaro; Bludeau and Heal. W—Bludau, 3-2. L—Smart, 4-4. HRs—Oklahoma State, Scott (5).

Game Two

Kansas 000 000 131 — 5 7 0

Oklahoma St. 121 111 00 — 7 15 2

Davis, Olson, Gish and Del Chiaro; Merrigan, Patterson, Rushing and Heal. W—Merrigan, 5-1. L—Davis, 3-2. Sv—Rushing. HRs—Oklahoma St., York (2).

Sooners Fall To Huskers In Twinbill

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Freshman Jamie Rodrigue pitched his second straight shutout as Nebraska beat Oklahoma 12-0 on the 10-run rule in the opener of a college baseball doubleheader Sunday.

Brant Vlieger and Dan Johnson combined for seven RBIs on four hits including two home runs for the Cornhuskers.

Austin Mix scattered seven hits over seven innings and Jeff Bajenaru hit a three-run home run and earned the win in relief as Oklahoma (14-10, 4-2 Big 12) defeated Nebraska 4-3 in the second game.

Matt Hopper had a solo home run for Nebraska (14-7, 5-4) which used seven pitchers in the game.

At Lincoln, Neb.

Game one

Oklahoma 000 000 0 — 0 5 0

Nebraska 301 022 4 — 12 12 0

Coose and Haggard; Rodrigue and Cowan. W—Rodrigue, 4-1. L—Coose, 3-3. HR— Nebraska, Johnson 2 (4), Vlieger (3).

Game two

Oklahoma 000 000 301 — 4 11 0

Nebraska 011 000 010 — 3 8 1

Mix, Bajenaru (8) and Wicher; Spiehs, Bullock (7), Ott (7), Penas (8), Hale (9), Byers (9), Schneider (9) and Cowan. W—Bajenaru, 1-1. L—Penas, 0-1. HR— Oklahoma, Bajenaru (2); Nebraska, Hopper (2).

OU Women Face Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Katie Douglas has put one of the worst performances of her career behind her.

Second-team All-American made just 2-of-11 shots from the field as defending national champion Purdue beat Dartmouth 70-66 in Saturday night’s first-round game of the NCAA East Regional.

Douglas insists that game is behind her, and just in time. The No. 13 Boilermakers (23-7) meet No. 18 Oklahoma (24-7) tonight, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s regional semifinals in Richmond, Va.

‘‘I go into every game as if it’s a new opportunity. Even though I didn’t have a good offensive night, I think it is going to motivate me to come out and play better basketball,’’ Douglas, the Big Ten player of the year by as voted by the media, said Sunday.

Even though Purdue has won seven consecutive NCAA tournament games in Mackey Arena, Purdue coach Kristy Curry said the homecourt might not help the Boilermakers much.

Oklahoma appeared right at home in Mackey and shot well as it advanced past Brigham Young 86-81 in Saturday night’s first game.

‘‘When you have the rigors of the Big 12, and the travel schedule that they have in Hawaii, across the country, I don’t think it will affect them,’’ Curry said. ‘‘We’re going to come out and use the energy and excitement of Mackey to be our sixth man. That doesn’t guarantee us anything.’’

Oklahoma won three road games this season before crowds of 6,227 or less, but lost three road games before crowds of over 10,000.

‘‘We have been in this situation before,’’ Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. ‘‘The odds are stacked against us a bit because we are playing in their arena and this gym will be filled with black and gold.’’

Coale is more concerned about limiting the effectiveness of Douglas, whose 21-point average has her among the nation’s top 10 in Division I. The junior already is Purdue’s No. 9 career scorer with 1,387 points.

‘‘It’s no surprise to anyone in this room that Katie Douglas is the key to what they do. She is the heart and soul of this Purdue team. As she goes, they go,’’ Coale said.

Douglas will be defended mainly by Oklahoma sophomore guard Stacey Dales.

‘‘I have competed against some of the Texas Tech and Iowa State players, and they are great players, too. Katie Douglas is a fantastic player,’’ Dales said. ‘‘I love those challenges. I think that the key thing is that defense is a collective effort. That will be the key rather than an individual defensive matchup.’’

Oklahoma’s upset bid will be more difficult with the return of Michelle Duhart, who was in Florida Saturday attending the funeral of her grandfather. She returned Sunday in time to join the Boilermakers for practice and will be back at her usual starting spot at forward.

‘‘Michelle is the best post defender on our team. She really does a great job of stopping penetration,’’ Curry said.

Duhart, who has missed starts only twice in three seasons, will be asked to defend Phylesha Whaley. The Big 12 player of the year is averaging 21 points this season, leads the Sooners in rebounds with an 8.1 mark, and became Oklahoma’s all-time scoring leader with a season-best 33 against Brigham Young.

‘‘It’s good to know when you have to play Phylesha Whaley that you have your best post defender to match up with her. Believe me, I did sleep a little bit last night, knowing that Michelle was coming back. ... Not only did we miss Michelle on the floor last night — I think we really missed her leadership.

‘‘She really gets us together and does a great job of communicating everything that needs to be communicated,’’ Curry said.