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Vipers Bite Down on 66ers During Matinee Game
Ronald Dupree scored a game-high 25 points for the Tulsa 66ers, but it was not enough to defeat the Rio Grande Valley Vipers during the first of two Kids Day games this season at the SpiritBank Event Center. The Vipers led throughout in a 89-80 victory.
"We showed spurts where we played pretty well, and others where we were discombobulated" 66ers Head Coach Paul Woolpert said. "That's been the story of our season so far."
The Vipers jumped out to an early 28-17 lead in the contest, forcing eight 66ers turnovers in the first quarter. Smush Parker led the charge early, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the period.
The 66ers fought back from a 14-point halftime deficit. They went on a 23-10 run in the third quarter to cut the Viper lead to 56-57, after Jeremy Kelly hit a shot and a free throw with 4:24 left in the third quarter. The Vipers subsequently went on a 9-0 run of their own to start the fourth quarter, giving them a 73-62 lead with eight minutes left in the game.
"We have got to be more consistent at the offensive end," Woolpert said. "We have to do a better job of getting the ball to places where we can score the ball."
Keith Clark came off the bench to score 15 points and grab nine rebounds, while Kelly finished with 12 points, Chris Richard grabbed 13 rebounds.
Alpha Bangura scored a team-high 19 points off the bench for the Vipers, while Kendall Dartez added 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Trent Strickland added 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the victory.
Rio Grande Valley (5-5) continues their four-game road trip on Friday, Dec. 19 at the Iowa Energy before heading to Austin on Sun., Dec. 21.
Tulsa (2-7) plays the Colorado 14ers on Saturday, Dec. 20 at home, before heading to Colorado on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
Man who ran in Tulsa marathon event dies
A 21-year-old man competing in a race connected with the Route 66 Marathon collapsed Sunday and died, event organizers said.
The man, who was not identified at the request of his family, collapsed while participating in a 13.1-mile half-marathon. Emergency medical personnel immediately began attending to the man, who died later at a Tulsa hospital.
It was the first death of a runner in the event's three-year history. About 5,000 people registered to participate in Route 66 Marathon events, about 2,000 of those for the half-marathon.
"We are deeply saddened that one of our runners didn't come home," said the event's executive director, Chris Lieberman.
Lamont Cavanagh, the marathon's medical director, said the man's cause of death had not yet been determined. He said marathon officials and authorities are working to gather details about what happened.
Jerry Faulkner of Tulsa set a course record to win the men's marathon division in 2:27.19. The women's winner, Gail Brooks of Waco, Texas, also set a course record, finishing in 3:02.40.
Tulsa signs 2 to basketball scholarships
Tulsa basketball coach Doug Wojcik (WOH'-jick) says two high school basketball players have signed national letters of intent with the Golden Hurricane. Six-foot-six forward Bryson Pope of Jenks High School and 6-foot-10 post Kodi Maduka of Arlington, Texas, signed with TU.
Pope averaged 16.6 points and just over eight rebounds per game as a junior last season at Jenks. Maduka averaged 6.1 points and 5 rebounds per game as a junior at Arlington Martin High School.
Oilers Bring Down the Thunder 
Michel Beausoleil scored two goals, including the 200th of his professional career, in leading the Tulsa Oilers to a 3-1 victory over the Wichita Thunder Saturday night.
Beausoleil’s goals came 3:08 apart in teh first period and Brendon Hodge assisted on both of them. The Oilers sealed the win with an empty net goal by Jeff Christian with two seconds left, with Beausoleil picking up an assist on that goal.
The only Thunder shot to elude Kevin St. Pierre was a power play goal by Jason Duda in the third period.
No. 25 Tulsa looks to bounce back after first loss
Tulsa's hopes for a perfect season are over so now the 25th-ranked Golden Hurricane are focused on remaining unbeaten in conference play. TU is 8-1 overall and 5-0 in Conference USA going into tomorrow's game against Houston. The Cougars are 5-4 but 4-1 in C-USA and would create a three-way tie with Rice for first in the West Division by beating the Golden Hurricane.
The game appears to have the ingredients for an offensive explosion. Tulsa leads the nation in total offense at 593 yards per game and Houston is fourth at 547. And TU quarterback David Johnson and Houston's Case Keenum both rank in the top five nationally in passing yards per game.
ORU at Tulsa to open season tomorrow
Oral Roberts will travel across town to open the college basketball season tomorrow at Tulsa. The Golden Eagles are looking for a fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance this season. Tulsa is coming off a season in which the Golden Hurricane won the first-ever College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament. Tipoff is at 4:05 Saturday afternoon.
Drillers Stadium Lease Okayed
A downtown home for the Tulsa Drillers is a big step closer to reality. The trust overseeing the planned stadium and the Drillers ball club have reached agreement on a lease. At a city hall meeting, members of the trust unanimously approved the lease. It was a necessary step before construction can begin. Plans are to open bids December 1st, and break ground at the downtown site before the end of the year. Construction should be complete in time for the 2010 baseball season.
Additional News
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Kevin Durant says he expects to play tonight against the New York Knicks despite a sore ankle. Durant missed Wednesday's game but took part in this morning's shootaround at Madison Square Garden with an ankle brace. He left the session with his ankle wrapped in ice.and says he thinks he'll be ready for tonight's game.
Tulsa's hopes for a perfect season are over so now the 25th-ranked Golden Hurricane are focused on remaining unbeaten in conference play. TU is 8-1 overall and 5-0 in Conference USA going into tomorrow's game against Houston.
Former University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton is already looking ahead to the 2012 Olympics. Horton led the U.S. squad to a team bronze medal in Beijing and won an individual silver on the high bar and says he knows he can possibly win three gold medals in the London Games in four years.
Ever since former Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson was a star in Pop Warner in Palestine, Texas, he's been taught to let his play do the talking for him. Now in his second NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings Peterson is showing signs of becoming a vocal and inspiring leader after speaking out during Sunday's game against Green Bay.
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