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Gonzaga aims to repeat Sooner State success

Dec 20, 2007 - 2:19 PM No. 20 Gonzaga (9-2) at Oklahoma (8-3) 9:00 pm EST

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (Ticker) -- Considering its last trip to the Sooner State, Gonzaga has to like its chances of leaving on a positive note.

The 20th-ranked Bulldogs travel to the Ford Center to meet Oklahoma in the second game of the O'Reilly's All-College Challenge on Thursday.

The Bulldogs competed in this event in 2004, downing then-No. 3 Oklahoma State 78-75.

Gonzaga's latest win was a 77-57 triumph over Northern Colorado as freshman guard Steven Gray wasted little time making his impact on the college basketball scene.

The 6-4 Gray, who missed the first 10 games of his freshman season after fracturing his wrist, scored 12 points and played 28 minutes to help the injury-riddled Bulldogs, who was missing leading-scorer Matt Bouldin with an ankle injury and starting guard Jeremy Pargo with a hyperextended knee.

Oklahoma recovered from a surprising loss to Stephen F. Austin on December 8 to down Arkansas, 83-72, in Norman on Saturday.

Longar Longar and Austin Johnson scored 17 points apiece to help the Sooners overcome the absence of leading-scorer Blake Griffin, who is averaging 13.0 points.