Tulsa World: Star shines in Stillwater

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Star shines in Stillwater
Blake Griffin enjoys his first game at Gallagher-Iba.

OU’s Blake Griffin is pressured by OSU’s Obi Muonelo and Anthony Brown on Monday night in Stillwater. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World

By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 1/27/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 1/27/2009 3:54 AM

STILLWATER — Blake Griffin's first game inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, and perhaps his last, ended with the ball in his hands. He cradled it as time ran out on Oklahoma's 89-81 Bedlam victory Monday night, loosening his grip long enough to raise an index finger. He might have taken the thing back to Norman as a trophy, had an Oklahoma State manager not grabbed it out of his hands.

But that's all right — Griffin's stat line made pretty sweet souvenir.

He scored 26 points behind 9-of-10 shooting. He yanked down 19 rebounds, one more than the Cowboys totaled as a team. He passed out three assists.

And while he turned the ball over seven times — "The first half, I kind of read their (defensive) looks and made a few stupid turnovers," he said — he also proved valuable as a dribbling, catching outlet against any full-court pressure OSU wanted to apply.

Griffin got a lot of help — Austin Johnson dropped in a career-high 22 points and Juan Pattillo added a career-high 12 off the bench — but make no mistake, he was the point man in OU's sixth Bedlam victory in seven tries.

He was also the focal point in Oklahoma State's defensive game plan, as expected given how outmanned the Cowboys were physically in comparison.

Asked what he saw from OSU, Griffin answered: "A lot of running and jumping, slapping, grabbing... One-three-one (zone), two-three (zone), man, post-to-post double, guard-to-post double..."

Griffin struggled in OU's halfcourt

offense against that hodgepodge for a while. So he did other things, like running the floor and helping Sooner ballhandlers, until he got a better feel for both the Cowboys and the game in general.

It came in the second half, when Griffin made all six of his shots and 8-of-12 free throws, scored 20 points and, along with Johnson's long-range bombing, kept OU in front the whole way.

It was quite a change from a year ago, when Griffin, recovering from knee surgery, was kept in Norman. He watched the Sooners win on the road from a dorm room.

He enjoyed being right in the middle of the action this time around.

"It was a great atmosphere in a great arena. They have great fans," he said. "It was a lot of fun."

Well, maybe not for the Cowboys.

"When a team can exploit you like they did tonight, there's not a whole lot you can do," OSU coach Travis Ford said. "We haven't played anybody like Blake Griffin."

Worse for the Cowboys, Griffin didn't exactly swear this was his final appearance at Gallagher-Iba Arena, projected top pick in the 2009 NBA draft or not.

"I expect to come back and play every year here," he said, before adding, "I'm not going to make any decision like that until the time is right."

Guerin Emig 581-8355
guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer

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