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Kelvin Sampson has never lost to Baylor as head coach of Oklahoma.
The Sooners' coach will try to continue that run of perfection Saturday when his team travels to Waco for a meeting with the struggling Bears.
Since taking over at Oklahoma in 1995, Sampson is 199-77 -- including a 14-0 record against Baylor. The Sooners have won the last 16 meetings since the Bears' last victory on Dec. 6, 1977, when current Baylor coach Dave Bliss was head coach at Oklahoma.
Because of the performance of senior guard Hollis Price, Oklahoma (12-3, 3-1) will be trying for its seventh win in eight games Saturday.
Price hit a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to force overtime, then scored five points in the extra period as the Sooners beat Texas Tech 69-64 Monday for their 32nd straight home victory.
``We just found a way to win this game tonight,'' said Price, who finished with 23 points and was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. ``I'm proud of what our guys did tonight.''
After four years as his coach, Sampson said he's no longer surprised by what Price does.
``That's what great players do,'' he said. ``In big ball games, he's doing what he should do. I can't tell you how many times Juan Dixon bailed Maryland out the last two years. Every team has their best players. You go to him.''
Price is third in the Big 12 in scoring (18.8) and leads the conference in free throw percentage (92.9). He has made 39-of-41 free throws over the last six games.
While Price seems to get better with each game, fellow senior guard Ebi Ere has been slumping. Following back-to-back single-digit scoring performances, Ere's scoring average has dropped from 18.5 to 15.9. He is 6-for-36 from the field the last three games.
While Price leads Oklahoma's offense, the defense has been getting progressively better. In the last 11 games, Sooners' opponents are averaging just 59.0 points per game, fewest in the Big 12.
After opening the season 9-2 in nonconference play, Baylor (9-6, 0-4) has lost all four of its league games.
Inexperience has been a problem for Baylor, which starts no seniors and three sophomores.
Oklahoma will be the fifth straight ranked opponent for the Bears, who lost their fourth straight game Tuesday, 67-64 in overtime to Oklahoma State.
Forward Lawrence Roberts had one of the best games of his career in defeat, totaling 21 points, 17 rebounds and three steals. His 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime.
Roberts leads Baylor with 15.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Fellow sophomore John Lucas adds 14.1 points and team highs of 4.7 assists and 1.9 steals.
Updated on Friday, Jan 24, 2003 9:50 pm, EST
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