Elite Eight Recap – East Rutherford Region
(2) Oklahoma State 64, (1) St. Joseph’s 60
With 6.9 seconds left to put Oklahoma State ahead junior guard John Lucas III threw up a three-pointer giving the Cowboys a 64-60 victory and a plane ticket punched to San Antonio. The East Rutherford regional champions will play the winner of the Georgia Tech/Kansas game.
A Unanimous First Team All-American selection, Hawks senior guard Jameer Nelson (Chester, PA) had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation but his shot fell short, and he took a seat, arms and legs crossed, on the floor of the Continental Arena as reality set in that the illustrious run had come to an abrupt ending.
Lucas stole the show with a sensational game capped by the game-winning shot. Lucas (Houston, TX/Baylor C.C.) finished with 19 points including three-of-12 from downtown. When the buzzer sounded, the 5’11” junior guard from Houston ran to his father, John Lucas II, former NBA head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Senior guard Tony Allen (Chicago, Ill.) finished with 12 points for the Cowboys while junior forward Joey Graham (Brandon, FL) played big, scoring 17 points. The scoring came late as Oklahoma State head coach Eddie Sutton watched his team allow a 14-4 Hawks run in the first half to take control of the game. Lucas was struggling in the first half, which he called the worst half of his career, and the Cowboys went into the locker room trailing St. Jo’s 33-27.
The Cowboys came out of the break fighting for their lives but as time was winding down, the stars came out. Nelson, junior guard Delonte West (Greenbelt, MD), and the Cowboys’ Lucas exchanged baskets. Following a Lucas jump shot, which put the Cowboys ahead, Hawks junior forward Pat Carroll (Horsham, PA) answered on a clutch three-point basket with 29 seconds to play. But Lucas would have the last laugh nailing the biggest shot of his young, prophetic career.
Nelson finished with 17 points while West had a game-high 20 points. The Hawks finish their Cinderella season with an overall record of 30-2. A rejuvenated Oklahoma State, in their sixth regional championship appearance, improves to 31-3.
