Having to go up against sophomore forward Blake Griffin can be tough enough. Facing 31 years of history on top of that doesn’t make it any easier. Baylor had to face both on Saturday.

The combination proved to be too much for Baylor on Saturday, as Griffin recorded 20 points and 17 rebounds and OU beat the Bears, 95-76, at Lloyd Noble Center in front of a sold out crowd.

The Sooners have now won 29 straight games over Baylor, dating back to 1978.

“I’m really proud of this win,” Capel said. “Our guys did a really good job. I thought this was as complete a first half as we’ve played all year long. We beat a good team.”

Freshman guard Willie Warren scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half and the Sooners went on a 24-9 run to take a 58-31 lead into halftime.

“I think the key to it was we really made a conscious effort to play defense,” senior forward Taylor Griffin said. “When we put in the effort and hustle, that’s what we can do.”

Taylor scored 18 points to go along with seven rebounds and four blocks. His strong play was a factor in the Bears shooting 28-81 from the field and 12-33 from three-point range.

Baylor attempted 17 threes in the first half alone, only hitting five of them.

“I thought Oklahoma played really well,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. “Especially in the first half. We got into the paint, but we just didn’t make plays.”

OU outscored the Bears 20-6 in the paint. Tony Crocker took advantage of the open shots they gave him on the outside. He scored 12 points, including two three’s, and grabbed five rebounds.

“They made plays,” Baylor guard Curtis Jerrells said. “The big guys inside were kicking it out and they did a good job of making shots. It was very difficult. They gave people trouble.”

The Sooners shot the ball well, hitting 7-15 from beyond the arc and 35 of their 60 field goal attempts.

“Our guys did a great job of cutting and getting open,” Blake said. “The biggest thing was our outside guys hitting shots. It opens up things and allows them not to sag the lane and pack it down. It opened up things for me.”

The Sooners don’t have much time to rest. Tonight they travel to Stillwater to take on their in-state rival Oklahoma State at 8 p.m.

“We have to turn around and get ready for another explosive offense in Oklahoma State,” Capel said. “They certainly present a lot of challenges for us.”

The Cowboys top five scorers are all guards, similar to Nebrasksa, who the Sooners beat on Wednesday.

Their top scorer is sophomore James Anderson, who averages 17.9 points and 5.7 rebounds.

“I think they’re a very good offensive team,” Capel said. “They cause odd match ups. They run. They score.”

-Eric Dama/The Daily

Reserve Patillo fills stat sheet in win

After Oklahoma’s 95-76 stomping of Baylor Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center, the Sooners extended their winning streak over the Bears to 29 games

The last time Baylor beat the Sooner’s was in 1977, when OU head coach Jeff Capel was just two-years-old. Granted, over the last few years, the Bears have been putting up more of a fight than they used to.

With close games in Norman and buzzer-beater shots at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Tx., before tip-off, it looked like it could be a highly-contested game between two ranked teams.

But after the game began, the Sooners revived their dominance as they coasted to a big win by shooting 58 percent from the field while Baylor shot 34 percent.

The dagger came with 11:13 left in the second half when OU stretched its lead to 30 and the OU student section began chanting “Same old Baylor.”

However, while Sooner fans may have thought the Sooners had just trounced, the “same old Baylor,” the Sooners looked a little different.

While both Griffin brothers put up big numbers and freshman guard Willie Warren was hot, the big surprise came when junior guard Juan Patillo came off the bench and provide a spark for the Sooners.

“He was exactly what we needed,” head coach Jeff Capel said. “We feel he can guard anyone on the court.”

Patillo, who came out of a redshirt against Texas and had only played four total minutes this season, saw his first significant action of the season on Saturday, logging 14 minutes against Baylor.

On Saturday, put back dunks, behind-the-back passes and tight defense marked Patillo’s coming out party.

Patillo was a highly-recruited junior college player last season and was expected to be a big role player for the Sooners this year before he was redshirted prior to OU’s regular season.

“We’ve seen how good he is, we have to play against him everyday,” senior forward Taylor Griffin said. “He’s long, athletic and can guard any player from point guard to post.”

Patillo hit 4-5 shots and recorded nine points, three rebounds, one block, one steal and a behind-the-back pass to Griffin that earned him a standing ovation.

“We are excited to have him off the scout team and learning our offense,” Capel said. “We know he is going to be a huge contribution to our team.”

-Daniel Martin/The Daily