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Dozier, Memphis top Oklahoma at Maui Invitational

Nov 20, 2006 - 10:20 PM MAUI, Hawaii (Ticker) -- It may be on the other side of the country, but coach John Calipari and Memphis continued their success in preseason tournaments.

Robert Dozier scored 13 points and freshman Willie Kemp added 12 for the 11th-ranked Tigers, who posted a 77-65 victory over Oklahoma in the first round of the Maui Invitational.

Last season, Memphis (2-0) started off a 33-4 campaign that garnered a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament by reaching the championship game of the NIT Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York against Duke.

The Tigers displayed the same type of strong start here despite the loss of leading scorer Rodney Carney and heralded freshman Shawne Williams to the NBA.

One of numerous first-year players on the roster, Kemp scored eight points in the first half as Memphis took a 39-32 lead.

Antonio Anderson and Kemp both hit a 3-pointer to start the second half, as the Tigers went on to build their lead to 60-42 with 11:11 remaining.

The Sooners, who were led by 18 points by Michael Neal, went on a 9-0 spurt to cut the deficit to 63-53 with 7:36 left, but failed to get any closer.

Anderson and Andre Allen scored 10 points each for Memphis, which overcame a miserable performance at the free-throw line, making just 20-of-37 (54 percent) attempts.

Also without point guard Darius Washington from last season's squad, the Tigers finished with 18 turnovers, including five by Dozier, the team's top scorer.

Memphis, which improved to 5-0 all-time against Oklahoma, did manage 23 points off 21 turnovers and held a 39-33 advantage in rebounds.

Taylor Griffin had 16 points and 10 boards for the Sooners (2-1), who committed 21 turnovers.

Oklahoma, which has averaged more than 24 wins over the last five years, struggled to find a consistent third-option as sophomore forward Austin Johnson shot 4-of-12 and committed five giveaways while only scoring nine points.

Memphis will face No. 19 Georgia Tech in the semifinals on Tuesday. Oklahoma will square off against Purdue.