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Augustin helps Texas edge Oklahoma State

Jan 22, 2008 - 7:05 AM STILLWATER, Oklahoma (Ticker) -- D.J. Augustin made sure 12th-ranked Texas would not suffer the same fate it did last season at the Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Augustin scored 26 points and made some critical free throws down the stretch to lift the Longhorns to a 63-61 triumph over Oklahoma State on Monday night in a Big 12 Conference matchup.

Damion James finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Texas (15-3, 2-1 Big 12), which suffered a heartbreaking 105-103 triple-overtime loss in Stillwater last season.

"I'm proud of the way they played at the defensive end," Cowboys coach Sean Sutton said. "Texas has a special player in Augustin. We kept everybody else in check throughout the game. They're an excellent basketball team. They're going to win a lot of games."

With the Longhorns holding a 61-58 advantage, the Cowboys had a chance to tie the contest. But James Anderson's 3-point attempt missed the mark with 11 ticks left.

Oklahoma State forward Marcus Dove grabbed the offensive rebound but failed to convert his follow-up shot.

"This is a tough loss," Dove said. "We thought this was a very winnable game for us."

Dove then fouled Augustin, and the sophomore guard hit a pair of much-needed free throws before Obi Muonelo knocked down a shot from the arc to cut the deficit to 63-61 with one second remaining.

"Those things like that hurt," Oklahoma State guard Byron Eaton said. "We had chances like when we missed the 1-and-1. We were down by one when James stepped up and we were down by one when Obi stepped up."

Texas got the inbound pass to Augustin, who managed to keep the ball away from Oklahoma State long enough to run out the clock.

Eaton gave the Cowboys a 54-51 edge with 8:44 remaining but, similiar to the first half, the offense went cold. As Oklahoma State failed to make a field goal for over eight minutes, Texas took a 59-54 lead on Augustin's driving layup.

"When it gets down to it, in the last four minutes, you have to play tough defense," Augustin said. "That's what it comes down to, is playing defense, and we did it as a team. We just communicated in a hostile environment and we played well."

Eaton hit a pair of free throws and Dove banked in a jumper with 28 seconds left to cut the deficit to one. But Dove fouled Augustin, who hit both of his ensuing free throws to make it 61-58.

Augustin made 9-of-10 free-throw attempts and was 3-of-4 from arc.

"What I liked most was D.J. getting it done at the free-throw line," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "He has struggled a little as of late, but tonight I liked his demeanor and the way he carried himself and the fact that he went out there and made those plays."

Dove's layup gave Oklahoma State a 27-26 edge with 6:52 left in the first half but was then held scoreless for nearly six minutes as Texas went on a 13-0 run.

The burst was highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers by Augustin as the Longhorns took a 41-31 lead into the break.

"We did play a good first half," Barnes said. "The zone helped us at times. Where we needed to make plays, we made them."

The Cowboys came out strong in the second half, using a 14-2 burst that was capped by Terrel Harris' 3-pointer to take a 45-43 advantage.

"We knew they were going to make runs," Augustin said. "They play well at home, and we knew that. The crowd's going to get behind them and push them, and they were going to feed off of that. We just had to get stops and play together, and that's what we did."

"They're at home, you would expect them to make a push," Barnes said. "You got to give them credit. We came out and we were careless. We have to continue to get smarter, but I do like the way we carried ourselves."

Anderson scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Eaton added 14 and eight for Oklahoma State, which held Texas to just 22 points in the second half.