In a game where the usual suspects like senior All-American Danielle Robinson and freshman guard Aaryn Ellenberg weren’t contributing to the Sooner offense, players like freshman center Nicole Griffin needed to be difference-makers if the Sooners wanted to come out on top.

Griffin had never started a collegiate basketball until Saturday’s 22-point victory over the Missouri Tigers. But OU coach Sherri Coale should consider making the Milwaukee, Wis., native a regular member of the starting five following her performance.

“It was a little different starting, but I’ve played on the court before,” Griffin said. “I was nervous a little bit, but after that it was just like practice.”

Although Griffin missed the tipoff opportunity to give the Sooners an early possession, she responded by scoring the first three Sooner points in the game.

Griffin also contributed to several screens that allowed players like sophomore guard Whitney Hand and Robinson to find the inside lane while playing sticky defense at the opposite end of the court to distrupt Missouri’s Shakara Jones’ performance.

Griffin’s long arms and lanky 6-foot-6-inch frame make her an ideal choice for a center that can move quickly while extending to get much-needed offensive rebounds. And up until Saturday, fans and opposing teams had only seen what Griffin could do coming off the bench.

Griffin replaced usual starter Joanna McFarland in the starting lineup, which turned out to provide a spark in McFarland’s performance, who ended with a team-leading 14 points, including going 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. But McFarland didn’t feel like she relinquished anything during the game.

“I don’t think about not being in the starting lineup, but I just try to do my job on the court,” McFarland said. “I’ve been in a slump lately, but today I just played like I know how to play basketball.”

In the second half, Griffin continued to produce on both sides of the ball, collecting a 3-point attempt just after the 10-minute mark. Griffin finished the game with seven points and a team-leading two steals during the contest.

“I loved the way our post guys established themselves today,” Coale said. “We have to have more than three guys carry us in Big 12 play.”

Griffin’s not a post player like Courtney Paris, whom Sooner fans fondly remember, but then again, can anyone top what Paris was able to do inside the paint? OU doesn’t have to have the Goliath underneath the basket; they just need a David to get the job done when it counts.

So far, there are plenty of applicants for the position, both within and outside the starting five. And maybe having more than one go-to-gal underneath will be more helpful to the team as they move into the postseason.