Rice University
4-7
#4 Oklahoma
12-0
Rice Defeated By No. 4 Oklahoma 70-58
12/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2008
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HOUSTON (AP)--Freshman Willie Warren scored a career-high 31 points, Blake Griffin added 27 points and 11 rebounds and No. 4 Oklahoma overcame turnovers and bad shooting to beat Rice 70-58 on Monday night.
Warren went 4-for-9 from 3-point range and Griffin notched his ninth double-double of the season for the Sooners (12-0), who matched the program's best start since 1989-90.
But this win wasn't pretty--the Sooners went 5-for-20 from 3-point range, shot 50 percent from the free throw line (17-of-34) and matched a season high with 17 turnovers.
Corey Pflieger had 17 points and Lawrence Ghoram added 16 for the Owls (4-7), who have lost their last 17 games against ranked opponents.
The Sooners broke a 46-all tie with a 14-2 run, finally taking control after the Owls defended well and held their own on the boards for 32 minutes.
Both teams also dealt with a faulty clock at Autry Court that repeatedly stopped with the ball in play. The frequent whistles frustrated the Sooners and slowed the tempo to Rice's advantage.
"This is ridiculous," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel groused after one of the malfunctions early in the second half.
Warren drove for a layup and Griffin scored inside to start the decisive spurt. Rice's Bryan Beasley intercepted a pass, but Austin Johnson blocked his breakaway layup attempt, sending Rice coach Ben Braun into a tirade.
Warren hit two free throws with 6:20 remaining and Griffin converted a three-point play a minute later to stretch the lead to eight. The Owls went 4 minutes without a field goal, finally wearing down against the bigger, more physical Sooners.
Warren hit a 3-pointer and Griffin dunked an alley-oop pass from Johnson as the Sooners jumped to a 9-2 lead.
Pflieger hit a 3-pointer and scored nine of Rice's first 11 points--the rest of the Owls missed 10 of their first 12 shots. But the Sooners led only 16-13 midway through the first half because of nine turnovers.
The Sooners led only 29-28 at halftime despite holding the Owls to 37 percent shooting from the field (10-for-27). Rice scored 14 points off 11 Oklahoma turnovers in the half.
The Owls double-teamed Griffin every time he touched the ball. The 6-foot-10 sophomore showed off his skills in one sequence early in the second half, grabbing a defensive rebound and dribbling the length of the court for a layup. He also coughed up two turnovers in the first 3 minutes after the break, helping Rice stay close.
Griffin flipped in a turnaround with 15:05 left to put the Sooners up 36-32, but Connor Frizzelle banked in a 3-pointer on Rice's next trip. A few minutes later, Pflieger swished his third 3-pointer to give Rice a 40-38 lead.
