The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma State
Gibson paces Men's Basketball in 75-61 upset of No. 5 Oklahoma State
01.17.2005 | Men's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Daniel Gibson had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Texas shook off any distractions about P.J. Tucker's future with an impressive 75-61 victory over Oklahoma State on Monday night.
Tucker, who spent most of the first half on the bench in foul trouble, scored 15 points in the second for the No. 15 Longhorns (14-3, 3-1 Big 12) -- but it might have been his final game of the season. The team's leading scorer has said academic problems could keep him off the court during the spring semester, which starts Tuesday.
Texas coach Rick Barnes and school officials have declined comment, citing federal privacy laws protecting student records.
Ivan McFarlin scored 19 points to lead the fifth-ranked Cowboys (13-2, 3-1), who were plagued by foul trouble all night. Starters Joey Graham and Terrence Crawford both fouled out with more than eight minutes to play.
Gibson scored 17 in the first half as the Longhorns built a 12-point lead. Tucker's clutch play down the stretch -- he was 9-of-9 from the free throw line -- helped stifle a brief Oklahoma State rally.
The Longhorns hardly missed him when he wasn't on the floor in the first half.
Gibson hit a pair of 3-pointers and routinely snaked through the Cowboys' defense for open shots. He scored six points in a 15-3 Texas run that closed the first half.
Oklahoma State hit five of its first seven shots, then went cold, missing eight of its next 10. The Cowboys looked unsettled as Graham and Crawford both picked up three fouls in the first half.
The Longhorns, the highest-scoring team in the Big 12, used quick hands on defense to force 10 turnovers. Gibson turned two of them into fast-break layups, the second giving Texas a 23-21 lead before John Lucas hit a 3-pointer to briefly reclaim the lead for OSU.
But the Cowboys didn't score again for six minutes and Texas built a 39-27 halftime lead that likely would have been more if not for 10 turnovers of its own.
A 10-0 Oklahoma State run to open the second quickly cut the lead to two, but fouls continued to hinder the Cowboys. Crawford and Graham both picked up their fourth about 20 seconds apart.
Tucker ended the run with his first basket, a tough layup in the lane, and Crawford fouled out. Tucker then fought his way around two Cowboys under the basket to fire a sharp pass to Kenton Paulino, whose 3-pointer pushed the lead to 46-39 before Gibson made it a 10-point cushion again with another 3.
Gibson made another big play when he stole a pass and drew the fifth foul on Graham with 8:23 to play. Graham, who leads the Cowboys in scoring at 19.1 points per game, finished with 12.
With two OSU starters off the floor, Texas had no trouble maintaining control the rest of the way. Lucas hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 64-58 before Paulino immediately answered from deep in the right corner.
Texas ended a four-game losing streak in the rivalry. Oklahoma State had outrebounded Texas in three straight victories but came up short this time, despite Texas playing without 6-foot-10 freshman center LaMarcus Aldridge, who is out indefinitely with a hip injury.
The Longhorns had a 36-34 advantage on the boards.
Texas Postgame Quotes
Texas Head Coach, Rick Barnes
ON THE GAME: We had a great team effort from the very beginning. The whole team played great. Once we got aggressive it made all the difference. Every guy that played made a difference in the game. For the first time we got the building atmosphere we wanted. The crowd was huge tonight.
P.J. Tucker, Sophomore Forward
ON THE ATMOSPHERE: The atmosphere was unbelievable tonight. I looked into the stands after the warm-up and there were just so many people. It definitely helped us. When we got down after a few shots, the crowd really helped to lift us back up.
Daniel Gibson, Freshman Guard
ON PLAYING HARD: Coach Barnes always tells us we need to play all 40 minutes of each game, no matter what the score is. I just keep playing my game and never stop.
Kenton Paulino, Junior Guard
ON HIS SUCCESS: They guarded Daniel (Gibson) very closely and that helped me get open to make shots. They focused on stopping him, and that gave me room to get open. When they doubled up on him, I didn't hesitate and took the shots.
