Ebi Ere breaks bone in wrist

Thursday, March 13th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma forward Ebi Ere broke a bone in his left wrist and is not expected to play in the upcoming Big 12 Conference basketball tournament, officials said Wednesday.

Ere injured his non-shooting wrist during practice on Tuesday, Oklahoma City television station KWTV reported.

X-rays taken Tuesday night confirmed the break, Mike Houck, associate athletic director, told The Associated Press by phone.

``He's wearing a hard cast right now. He's not expected to play this weekend in the Big 12 tournament but he's not ruled out definitely,'' Houck said.

Ere is Oklahoma's second-leading scorer, averaging about 14 points per game, Houck said. Ere, the 2002 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, was a starter but has come off the bench in the past four of seven games, Houck said.

Oklahoma begins conference play Friday evening against the winner of the Kansas State-Colorado game.