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Griffin, Johnson help Oklahoma extend Baylor's woes

Feb 12, 2009 - 6:03 AM WACO, Texas (Ticker) -- Oklahoma continues to pile up wins at the expense of Baylor.

Blake Griffin had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Austin Johnson scored 17 as second-ranked Oklahoma defeated Baylor for the 30th straight time with a 78-63 victory on Wednesday.

Juan Pattillo added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners (24-1, 10-0 Big 12), who haven't lost to the Bears since December 6, 1977. It was Oklahoma's 12th straight win overall.

"I am really proud of this win," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said. "We beat a good basketball team. I know they have been struggling a little bit, but they are a very talented team. We knew we were going to get a great shot from them. I thought they played with a little more energy than they have and what I have seen on tape.

"We made plays. Guys stepped up when they made runs."

Once ranked in the top 25, Baylor (15-9, 3-7) lost its sixth consecutive game. The Bears, who averaged 8.7 made 3-pointers per game coming into the contest, were just 5-of-26 from the arc.

"I thought we played hard and I thought we competed," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "Credit (Oklahoma) for making the big plays, especially down the stretch. We were even on the boards with them and we only had 11 turnovers.

"Obviously, you like more assists but at the end of the day you have to make some shots and uncharacteristically we shot 19 percent from the 3-point line. Some of them were contested but some of them are looks that we have to make."

Oklahoma led by seven early on before Baylor came back and eventually took a 24-22 lead on LaceDarius Dunn's jumper with 3:51 left in the first half.

The Sooners finished the half strong, making five of their last six shots - three from the arc - as Oklahoma took a 35-30 lead into the locker rooms. Johnson made two of the 3-pointers late in the half.

Oklahoma scored the first five points of the second half to push its advantage up to 10 and Baylor couldn't overcome its uphill climb the rest of the way.

"We played under control the whole game, and that is important on the road," Griffin said. "Guys hit big shots, everybody stepped up and everybody played well."

Freshman Quincy Acy and Dunn made consecutive layups to cut the Bears' deficit to 52-49 with 8:05 to play but the Sooners answered.

Tony Crocker's 3-pointer from the left corner capped a 10-1 run to give Oklahoma a 62-50 lead with 5:11 remaining and the Sooners cruised to the finish.

Curtis Jerrells scored 19 points and Dunn finished with 11 to lead Baylor.

"We guarded well and we had offensive rebounds but those guys just had got a couple of more loose balls," Jerrells said. "They hit some crazy and tough shots."