BEAUMONT, Texas -- Forward Damon Patterson scored a game-high 26 points and dished off six assists Tuesday night to lead No. 13 Oklahoma to a 101-91 victory over Lamar in the Cardinal Club Classic championship game.
Patterson, who was 11 for 23 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Oklahoma, 9-0, put the game away early by scoring the first 9 points of the contest. The Cardinals, 5-7, cut the margin to 13-10 on Shawn Copes' layup, but that would be as close as Lamar would get in the first half and the Sooners led 49-38 at intermission.
Copes converted a 3-point play with 9:45 left in the game to knot the score at 75-75, but Patterson answered with seven straight points to trigger an 18-4 run for a 93-79 lead with 3:27 remaining.
Brent Price added 22 points for Oklahoma, and Jeff Webster had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Lamar was led by Atiim Browne's 25 points. Copes finished with 24.
In the consolation game, Sam Houston State, 1-8, notched its first victory of the season with an 80-75 overtime victory over Mississippi Valley State, 1-9.
