NORMAN, Okla. — Colorado did almost everything right Saturday afternoon.
The Buffaloes shot 50.9 percent from the field, forced 17 turnovers and made all but one of their free-throw attempts.
But no matter what they tried, the Buffs couldn’t stop Blake Griffin in the paint or Tony Crocker from 3-point range as the No. 2 Sooners (23-1, 9-0 Big 12) held off CU 77-72 at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Griffin hit his first nine shots and finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds for his NCAA-best 20th double-double of the season.
He also brought the Sooner crowd of 12,414 to its feet with a pair of ferocious dunks.
“He’s an All-American and he played like it,” said CU forward Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, who was charged with guarding Griffin for much of the game. “Not much you can do when he gets the ball down there.”
Crocker did as much damage, connecting on a career-high seven 3-pointers to finish with 24 points.
But even with Griffin dominating and Crocker on target, the Buffs (9-13, 1-7) didn’t go down easily.
Despite trailing by 14 points with six minutes to go in the second half, CU fought its way back into the game.
With the help of OU’s poor free-throw shooting down the stretch, the Buffs cut the lead to 73-70 following Cory Higgins’ jump shot with 12 seconds remaining.
But the Buffs couldn’t climb any closer, as OU converted its final four free-throw attempts to seal the victory.
“For such a young team, our heart is in the right place. We’re just not getting rewarded with the wins,” said Buffs coach Jeff Bzdelik, whose club has lost three straight games by five points or less. “But the guys keep battling, and that’s the kind of program we’re trying to build at Colorado.”
Higgins, one of four Buffs to score in double figures, led CU with 20 points.
Dwight Thorne II and Austin Dufault scored 13 points apiece, and Nate Tomlinson added 11.
“We could’ve just laid down,” Jackson-Wilson said. “People may think they’re going to walk all over us, but we’re not going to just lay down. People can call us the doormats, but we came here to win.”
The Buffs made 28-of-55 shots, becoming only the third Sooner opponent this season to shoot better than 50 percent.
But thanks to Griffin and Crocker, the Sooners shot 57.1 percent and outrebounded CU 33-20, handing the Buffs their 25th consecutive Big 12 road loss.
“We’re close, yet so far,” Bzdelik said. “We’re not quite strong enough under the boards.
“The competitive spirit is there. We just need to get better.”
COLORADO (9-13, 1-7 BIG 12)
Jackson-Wilson 4-4 0-0 8, Dufault 4-8 5-6 13, Tomlinson 4-6 0-0 11, Higgins 9-18 0-0 20, Thorne II 4-12 4-4 13, Coney 0-1 0-0 0, Knutson 0-2 0-0 0, Eckloff 3-4 0-0 7. Totals 28-55 9-10 72.
OKLAHOMA (23-1, 9-0)
B.Griffin 11-14 4-10 26, T.Griffin 2-3 0-0 5, Crocker 7-12 3-4 24, Warren 2-7 1-1 5, Johnson 3-7 0-0 6, Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Leary 0-0 0-0 0, Pattillo 3-5 2-4 8, Davis 0-1 3-4 3. Totals 28-49 13-23 77.
Halftime — Oklahoma 38-33. 3-point goals — Colorado 7-18 (Tomlinson 3-3, Higgins 2-4, Eckloff 1-2, Thorne II 1-6, Knutson 0-1, Dufault 0-2), Oklahoma 8-20 (Crocker 7-11, T.Griffin 1-1, Davis 0-1, Johnson 0-3, Warren 0-4). Fouled out — Tomlinson. Rebounds — Colorado 20 (Jackson-Wilson 5), Oklahoma 33 (B.Griffin 12). Assists — Colorado 14 (Tomlinson 4), Oklahoma 22 (Warren 6). Total fouls — Colorado 22, Oklahoma 11. A — 12,414.
