OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Tony Crocker scored a career-high 26 points and No. 4 Oklahoma got a win for coach Jeff Capel against the team that gave him his coaching start, beating Virginia Commonwealth 81-70 on Saturday night.
Crocker went 5-for-6 from 3-point range and scored more than twice as many points as he had in any other game this season, complementing an 18-point performance by Blake Griffin.
Larry Sanders scored 16 before fouling out to lead the Rams (7-4), and freshman Bradford Burgess had a career-high 15 points. Reigning Colonial Athletic Association player of the year Eric Maynor, who had been averaging 24 points, was held to 15 on 5-for-18 shooting with eight turnovers.
Before coming to Oklahoma (11-0), Capel got his coaching break at VCU, winning 79 games in four seasons and leading the Rams to the NCAA tournament in 2004. He said he wasn't looking forward to facing his former school, but he didn't have a choice. The game was required as part of Capel's contract at VCU, which called for the Rams to receive a home-and-home series against any school that hired him away.
Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford watched from a front-row seat across from the Sooners' bench and alongside unlikely neighbor Kevin Durant, the former Texas basketball star who now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The two talked some during the opening game of the All-College Classic between Oklahoma State and Rhode Island, and then sat a few seats apart for much of the second game.
What they saw was a return to prominence by Crocker, who had been one of Oklahoma's top scoring threats last season.
Crocker blended into the background early this season as Griffin increased his output and freshman Willie Warren claimed another chunk of the Sooners' production.
But with Griffin on the bench with two first-half fouls in a tight game, Crocker came through with the spark the Sooners needed.
He converted a three-point play to put Oklahoma up 34-32 and then added two 3-pointers from the same spot on the right wing as the Sooners scored the final eight points of the first half for a 42-33 lead.
The second half started with another Crocker 3-pointer, and Oklahoma extended its lead to 63-46 after he hit yet another from the left wing with 11:26 to play to finish off a 10-0 surge.
VCU made a late rally to cut into a 20-point lead at the end, but the Sooners still emerged with their best start to a season since going 12-0 to start the 1989-90 season.
Oklahoma has won 15 of its last 16 in the annual basketball double-header in Oklahoma City.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
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