No. 6 Oklahoma beats No. 11 Texas 78-63

[January 13, 2009]  NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Blake Griffin racked up his 14th double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 6 Oklahoma to a 78-63 victory over No. 11 Texas on Monday night, snapping a six-game losing streak to the Longhorns.

Willie Warren scored 17 points and Tony Crocker added 16 points and nine rebounds as the Sooners (16-1, 2-0 Big 12) built a big lead early and then thwarted a second-half rally.

Damion James brought Texas (12-4, 1-1) within 54-50 with a 3-pointer from the right wing with 11:13 to play, but the Longhorns then went 6 1/2 minutes without scoring.

Warren's driving layup started a 12-0 run for the Sooners, and Taylor Griffin's two free throws pushed the lead to 66-50 with 5:05 remaining.

A.J. Abrams led Texas with 22 points on 8-for-27 shooting, and James scored 12.

James, the Longhorns' second-leading scorer, spent most of the first half on the bench as Texas coach Rick Barnes searched for a productive lineup.

James and starting point guard Justin Mason both were taken out in the opening minutes, and Barnes hooked them again as the Longhorns continued to struggle. Barnes got all the way to the end of the roster, with Harrison Smith playing for only the fourth time this season, as Oklahoma built a 24-8 lead after Blake Griffin's two-handed alley-oop dunk on a pass from Crocker.

That made the Sooners 10-for-19 from the field and they had forced seven turnovers. It was a big enough edge that the Longhorns never could fully overcome it.

Dexter Pittman dunked at the other end for the Longhorns, who would get as close as 25-19 before the Sooners built their lead back to 11 at halftime.

Oklahoma answered again when it counted in the second half, forcing nine straight empty possessions by the Longhorns after the lead was cut to four.

Austin Johnson finished with 15 points for the Sooners, who shot 51 percent.

[Associated Press; By JEFF LATZKE]

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