Durant befuddles Missouri

By The Associated Press     Jan 11, 2007

? Kevin Durant and the young Texas Longhorns are making Big 12 play look easy. They have to know tougher games are sure to come.

Durant scored 34 points and No. 25 Texas won another Big 12 blowout Wednesday night, an 88-68 victory over Missouri that left yet another opponent befuddled on how to stop the long and lean freshman forward who seems to score at will.

Durant had already tied Texas and Big 12 freshman scoring records with 37 points a few days earlier against Colorado.

“Send him to the league. He needs to go to the league, man,” said first-year Missouri coach Mike Anderson, who dropped to 0-2 in the Big 12.

Most expect Durant to jump to the NBA after one season. For now, he’s a defender’s nightmare in a conference that might have hoped for a Texas drop-off after the Longhorns lost all five starters from last season’s co-championship team.

Durant leads the league in scoring and rebounding and like everyone else, the Tigers had no way of keeping him from scoring from just about anywhere on the court. He hit 10 of 14 shots, two 3-pointers and was 12-of-13 on free throws. He also grabbed 13 rebounds.

But the kid seems to know that two easy wins don’t set up Texas to win a championship.

“Games are going to get harder and harder,” Durant said. “We’ve got a long way to go. It’s not about me, it’s about everybody.”

Texas (12-3, 2-0) ran its winning streak over Missouri to nine. The Tigers (11-4) haven’t beaten the Longhorns since 1999, when Norm Stewart coached his last regular-season game at Missouri, which also happened to be his final career victory.

A.J. Abrams added 16 points for the Longhorns, who hit 12 3-pointers.

Marshall Brown led Missouri with 24 points, 22 in the second half.

Iowa State 71, Nebraska 62

Ames, Iowa – Mike Taylor scored 22 points and Jiri Hubalek added 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cyclones.

Freshman Wesley Johnson chipped in with his eighth double-double – 11 points and 10 boards – for Iowa State (11-5, 2-0), which has won four straight.

Aleks Maric scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Nebraska (11-4, 0-1).

Oklahoma 78, Colorado 54

Norman, Okla. – Nate Carter came off the bench to score 15 points and grab eight rebounds as the Sooners routed the Buffaloes in OU’s Big 12 Conference home opener.

Oklahoma (9-5, 1-1 Big 12) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Sooners have beaten Colorado (4-8, 0-2) 22 straight times at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Women

No. 8 Oklahoma 76, No. 9 Baylor 63

Waco, Texas – Courtney Paris scored 21 of her 32 points after halftime when the Sooners overcame a 10-point deficit.

Oklahoma (13-1, 3-0) extended its record Big 12 winning streak to 22 games.

The Sooners were down 39-29 after consecutive baskets by Jhasmin Player sandwiched two missed free throws by Paris in the opening minute of the second half. After that, the Bears (15-2, 2-1) couldn’t do anything to slow down Oklahoma’s dominating 6-foot-4 sophomore center.

Bernice Mosby led Baylor with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 19 Texas A&M 49, Texas Tech 47

Lubbock, Texas – Morenike Atunrase hit a jumper with 1:04 left to lift the Aggies.

A&M held Tech scoreless for the final 3 minutes.

Lenka Zimova scored 11 points and Takia Starks added 10 to lead the Aggies (10-3, 1-1 Big 12).

Alesha Robertson had 14 points for Tech (10-6, 1-2).

No. 23 Texas 79, Missouri 77, OT

Columbia, Mo. – Earnesia Williams made two free throws with 5 seconds left in overtime to give the Longhorns the victory.

Williams forced the extra period when she grabbed her own rebound off a missed jumper with 3 seconds remaining in regulation and hit a jump shot to tie it at 71.

Tiffany Jackson scored 22 for Texas (12-4, 1-1 Big 12).

EeTisha Riddle had 31 points for Missouri (13-3, 1-2).

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