Feb. 24, 2001

Box Score| Quotes| Notes

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Burdened by sore feet and three fouls, Juan Dixon reached halftime without a point.

Dixon tossed his new shoes aside, laced up his old sneakers and just like that, Maryland's leading scorer reverted to form.

Dixon scored 23 points in the second half as No. 20 Maryland extended its home non-conference winning streak to 77 games by pulling away to a 68-60 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma on Saturday.

Maryland (18-9) led by 12 in the first half, then fell behind shortly after halftime before Dixon hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 14-3 run that put the Terrapins up 45-36. With four minutes left, Dixon had 20 of Maryland's 33 second-half points and the Terrapins led 60-49.

"It had to be the shoes," Maryland center Chris Wilcox said.

"I wish I could say that," Dixon said. "My feet were hurting from the shoes I had on in the first half and I was in foul trouble. The reason I changed my shoes is because my feet were hurting."

The Terrapins got new sneakers Thursday, and Dixon made the change to keep in tune with his teammates. But he said after Saturday's game that he will wear the old shoes for the rest of the season.

"I didn't know he changed them," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "If I had known that, I'd have told him to change after the first TV timeout. Why wait until halftime?"

Kelley Newton scored 14 points and Daryan Selvy added 12 for the Sooners (21-6). Oklahoma played without starting point guard J.R. Raymond, who was suspended for violating team policy and did not make the trip.

Raymond was averaging 18.5 points in Oklahoma's last 10 games, nine of them wins. Hollis Price started at point guard and played the entire game, finishing with nine points and seven turnovers.

"I think he got tired," Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. "That kid played for 40 minutes against unbelievable pressure. I've got to do a better job of resting him."

Dixon went 7-for-11 from the field in the second half, sinking four 3-pointers, after an 0-for-3 first half.

"He is as good as advertised," Sampson said.

Lonny Baxter scored 16 for the Terrapins, whose non-conference run at home is the longest in the nation. The streak began in December 1989.

The victory was an important one for Maryland, but Williams wasn't about to say the Terrapins have clinched an eighth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.

"I don't want to say anything," he said. "With 32 automatic qualifiers it gets tough to get everybody who deserves to be there in there."

The absence of Raymond had a profound affect on the Sooners at the outset, as Oklahoma scored only two points in the opening nine minutes.

It was 22-10 before the Sooners finally made a move, getting four points from McGhee in an 8-2 burst.