Sports

Sykes lifts Green Bay into third at Shootout

Green Bay and Tulsa tangled for third place in the Carrs-Safeway Great Alaska Shootout in a game Saturday night that was marred by an abundance turnovers, missed shots and a couple of delays so the officials could consult the TV monitor.

Salvaging it for Green Bay was point guard Keifer Sykes, who played a beauty of a game to lift the Phoenix to a 67-59 victory.

Sykes poured in 25 points and scored his team's final eight points at the foul line in an effort that put him over the 1,000-point mark. A 5-foot-11 junior, Sykes added nine assists and put life in the Phoenix in the second half.

"Keifer Sykes did a tremendous job of controlling the tempo," Tulsa coach Danny Manning said. "He's a talented player and they have good pieces around him."

Tulsa (1-6) led 29-26 at the half but Green Bay was the aggressor in the second half. Down 36-31, the Phoenix came up with four turnovers on four straight Tulsa possession in a display of defense that became the norm. Tulsa shot 23.3 percent for the half and was badly outrebounded.

Both teams finished with shooting percentages in the 30s -- 37.3 for Green Bat and 30.0 for Tulsa -- and they combined for 31 turnovers, 18 of them by the Phoenix.

"It was not the prettiest game to watch," Green Bay coach Brian Wardle said. "You saw two teams that played three games in three days.

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"We showed a lot of grit, a lot of toughness."

Green Bay (4-2) enjoyed contributions from a multitude of players. Alec Brown, a 7-foot-1 senior, scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds, blocked two shots and drilled a 3-pointer that tied the game 38-38 a little more than six minutes into the second half. Sophomore Jordan Fouse turned in another industrious game (11 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 4 points, 2 blocks) and Greg Mays managed 12 points and eight rebounds despite foul trouble. Turner Botz came off the bench to provide a couple of key offense rebounds and a 3-pointer that put the Phoenix up 59-54 with 2:20 to play.

But the star of the show was Sykes, a creator with remarkable leaping ability who usually finishes what he starts. He was 13 of 14 from the foul line and his six turnovers included one in the second half. After hitting two of eight shots in the first half he hit 4 of 9. His 25 points give him 1,011, making him the fourth player in Green Bay history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

"I have to thank coach for putting me out there my freshman year," he said. "My first game against South Dakota, he stuck with me and I knew it was gonna be a nice ride.

"I really study the game, and I try to get people going."

Tulsa, outrebounded 46-33, got 15 points and 10 rebounds from 6-7 sophomore forward Rashad Smith, but no one else reached double figures.

Reach Beth Bragg at bbragg@adn.com or 257-4335.

TULSA (59) — Smith 5-15 5-8 15, Evans 1-5 2-2 5, Peete 1-3 1-2 3, Woodard 3-9 2-2 9, Harrison 0-0 0-0 0, Swilling 2-7 2-2 8, Ray 0-3 0-0 0, Curtis 2-6 2-2 6, Repichowski 2-7 0-0 6, Wright 2-5 3-3 7, Swannegan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-60 6-19 59.

GREEN BAY (67) — Fouse 2-5 0-2 4, Mays 5-10 2-3 12, Brown 4-11 2-3 11, Fulton 0-1 0-0 0, Sykes 6-17 13-14 25, Botz 1-2 0-0 3, Humphrey 1-2 0-0 2, Love 2-9 2-2 7, Findlay 0-0 0-0 0, Garrett 1-1 0-0 3, Lowe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-59 19-24 67.

Tulsa29 30 — 59

Green Bay26 41 — 67

3-point goals — Tulsa 6-19 (Smith 0-2, Evans 1-3, Peete 0-1, Woodard 1-3, Swilling 2-4, Curtis 0-1, Repichowski 2-5), Green Bay 4-14 (Brown 1-1, Fulton 0-1, Sykes 0-4, Botz 1-1, Love 1-6, Garrett 1-1). Rebounds — Tulsa 33 (Smith 10), Green Bay 46 (Fouse 11, Mays 8). Total fouls — Tulsa 21, Green Bay 19. Fouled out — Brown. Assists — Tulsa 15 (Harrison 4), Green Bay 17 (Sykes 9). Turnovers — Tulsa 13 (Harrison 3), Green Bay 18 (Sykes 6). Blocks — Tulsa 5 (Woodard 3), Green Bay 6 (Fouse 2, Brown 2). Steals — Tulsa 10 (Woodard 3), Green Bay 9 (Fouse 5). Officials — Lujan, McNew, Watts.

By BETH BRAGG

bbragg@adn.com

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