An eight-point deficit was trimmed to one midway through the second half, and Doolittle had a 3-point shot that would have given the Sooners the lead and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
A 12-point deficit was trimmed to seven with little more than four minutes left and Williams in the open court. But Williams was called for an offensive foul, and the Sooners were cooked.
Soon enough, the crowd went from spirited to deflated, flooding not the court, but the parking lot, long before the final buzzer.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.