Only thing soft about Sooners center Nicole Griffin is her Charmin-like shot

Griffin, as always, was a factor on defense. She blocked two shots but had the Cowgirls concerned about shooting over her. Littell said this game turned late first half when OSU, with a slight lead, missed close-in shots “right at the rim … maybe saw somebody out of the corner of our eye.”

That somebody was Griffin.

“She's looking for me to perform like this more often,” Griffin said. “Why can't I do this all the time, not just today?”

Griffin is too hard on herself. She's been playing solid basketball all season. Came into the game averaging 10.9 points and 4.7 rebounds.

“I've been playing good,” Griffin said. “I played really good today.”

Thus the Sooners retained second place in the Big 12. They're not a great team. Too injury-depleted and too thin to be Final Four contenders.

But they're scrappy enough and skilled enough that they can do some damage come March, especially with a 6-foot-6 center who is soft only with her shot.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@opubco.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel.