Oklahoma 68, Oklahoma St. 56

3/5/2008 9:11 PM

By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -Tony Crocker scored a career-high 25 points and Oklahoma snapped Oklahoma State's five-game winning streak Wednesday night with a 68-56 victory in a Bedlam rivalry game loaded with NCAA tournament implications for both teams.

With leading scorer Blake Griffin out following right knee surgery, Crocker picked up the slack by scoring 14 points in the first half and then helping the Sooners pull away in the second half.

His banked-in 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half gave Oklahoma the lead for good, and the Sooners scored the first six points after halftime to go up 38-30 on Taylor Griffin's wide-open layup with 17:49 remaining.

Crocker added a three-point play and a basket in the lane to push the Sooners' lead to 10, and his 3-pointer from the top of the key made it 55-42 with 8:14 to play.

Byron Eaton, who'd averaged 20.6 points during the win streak to direct the Cowboys (16-13, 7-8 Big 12) back into postseason contention, hit two free throws to cut the deficit to nine with 5:41 left, but Oklahoma State could get no closer.

Eaton fouled out with 3:44 to play and his team down by 10, and the Cowboys couldn't mount a rally without their star point guard. Fans started streaming toward the exits after James Anderson's missed 3-pointer with 90 seconds left.

Longar Longar scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half and Austin Johnson added 11 points as the Sooners spoiled senior night festivities for Marcus Dove and Tyler Hatch and most likely the Cowboys' NCAA tournament hopes, too.

No Big 12 team has ever made the NCAAs with eight conference losses.

Obi Muonelo led the Cowboys with 15 points, Dove had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double and Eaton also finished with 13 points.

Oklahoma State's point total was its lowest in 10 games and matched its second-lowest of the season.