Duo combines for 44 points and OU moves into third-place Big 12 tie with 73-66 win over Baylor.
Feb. 2 , 2011
NORMAN, Okla. (AP)-- Carl Blair got a second chance Wednesday.
He made the most of it by helping Oklahoma hold off Baylor 73-66.
After Blair missed a free throw with 28 seconds remaining and Oklahoma leading by just three, teammate C.J. Washington grabbed the rebound. Blair then ended up back at the foul line and hit four straight free throws in the final 23.6 seconds to seal the Sooners' fourth win in a row.
"My teammates have confidence in me to hit those shots," Blair said. "I just can't let them down."
Blair finished with 19 points and seven assists, and Cameron Clark led Oklahoma (12-9, 4-3 Big 12) 25 points.
"I've really enjoyed coaching this team, especially the past few weeks," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said. "Just watching these guys grow."
Perry Jones scored 19 for the Bears (14-7, 4-4), Anthony Jones added 16 points, LaceDarius Dunn had 15 and Quincy Acy 11.
Oklahoma went up 67-53 with 4:49 to play after a 24-3 run before Baylor pulled to within 69-66 with 31 seconds remaining.
Steven Pledger and Andrew Fitzgerald each added 10 points for the Sooners.
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday night but was postponed after a blizzard hit Oklahoma City.
After a first half in which neither team led by more than six, Baylor and Oklahoma each put together big runs in the second half.
The Bears lead 39-34 at halftime and 50-43 with 15:57 left before the Sooners scored 10 straight points thanks to four Baylor turnovers. The Bears went scoreless for more than 6 1/2 minutes during the stretch and finished with 16 turnovers, 12 in the second half.
"We played very good offensively for about 25 minutes today, 28 minutes," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "Then the wheels kind of fell off."
Oklahoma's run stretched to 17-2 when Cade Davis hit a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Sooners a 60-52 lead with 7:38 to go. After Oklahoma pushed its lead to 14, Baylor went on a 13-2 run, cutting the gap to three.
"As a team we realized we had to buckle down," Blair said. "In order to win, we had to get stops. We played great defense."