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No. 3 Texas dominates Oklahoma State

Feb 17, 2011 - 5:23 AM Austin, TX (Sports Network) - Gary Johnson missed just once on his way to 17 points, and third-ranked Texas didn't miss often, staking its claim for the nation's top spot with a convincing 73-55 victory over Oklahoma State.

Jordan Hamilton added 15 points and six rebounds, while Tristan Thompson totaled 14 points and five rebounds for Texas (23-3, 11-0 Big 12), which won for the 11th straight time and with another victory over Nebraska on Saturday can state its case for the No. 1 ranking. Top-ranked Kansas lost to Kansas State on Monday.

Markel Brown led Oklahoma State (16-9, 4-7) with 14 points and Marshall Moses chipped in with 10 points for the Cowboys, who have dropped two games in a row.

"We just got beat by a better team tonight," said Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford. "They are a very good basketball team and are deserving of everything people have been saying about them."

The game was never in doubt from the opening tip, as the Longhorns raced out to a 9-2 edge with seven successive points capped by Dogus Balbay's free throw. The momentum continued as the homestanding Longhorns opened a 27-15 edge on Cory Joseph's three-pointer.

Texas took a 36-25 lead into the locker room, and the lead grew as Johnson couldn't miss in the second half. Johnson made his first five shots of the half and was outscoring the Cowboys, 11-10, singlehandley at one point in the second half. His jumper increased the margin to 51-34 nearing the 13-minute mark.

"Well, he's improved in so many different areas," Texas head coach Rick Barnes said about Johnson. "He's put as much time in, improving his range, as anybody. He's a real worker. And his versatility allows us in a game like tonight to play with basically four guards."

That wasn't even the worst for the Cowboys, who fell behind 58-35 on Thompson's layup with about 11 1/2 minutes to play. The layup capped a 16-4 scoring stretch, turning the final 10 minutes into an exhibition of sorts for the Longhorns.

Game Notes

Balby scored five points in the victory...Johnson also grabbed 10 rebounds, part of 39-34 rebounding margin for the home team...Texas made 43.9 percent of its shots and scored 18 points off 17 Oklahoma State turnovers...Johnson finished 7-of-8 from the floor.