Oklahoma can't keep up with Durant, Texas

Kevin Durant (pictured left) scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half as No. 25 Texas jumped out to an 8-0 run and never looked back in their 80-69 win over Oklahoma on Saturday. The Longhorns shot a season-high 54 percent from the field and led by as many as 28 points in the second half. With the loss, OU falls to 9-6 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 play. (AP Photo)

Playing without suspended center and leading scorer Longar Longar for the first of two games, Oklahoma was no match for No. 25 Texas Saturday in Austin.

Freshman phenom Kevin Durant proved to be as good as advertised scoring 20 of his game-high 28 in the first half as the Longhorns began the game with an 8-0 run and never looked back with an 80-69 win.

The Sooners, who came into the game ranked sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense (37 percent) and 11th in scoring defense (55.9), saw Texas shoot a season-high 54 percent and drill nine 3-pointers. Texas' 80 points were also the most scored on the Sooners this season.

"They are a very talented basketball team. The best team we have played all year," said Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel, whose Sooners never got closer than 10-4 after Texas' initial 8-0 run to begin the game. "They can score in a variety of ways and they have arguably the best player in college basketball (Durant).

"They shot the ball tremendously in the first half and we dug ourselves a hole. I was proud of our guys for pulling the game to a 10-point game to end the half."

The Longhorns used strong starts at the beginning of the first and second halves to take control and pull away.

Texas began the game with an 8-0 run and shot 68 percent (17-of-25) in the opening 20 minutes to take a 43-33 halftime edge. The Longhorns then began the second half with a 14-2 to break the game open for good.

To Oklahoma's credit, they trailed by as many as 28 points in the second half but never quit and closed the game with a 19-2 run over the final 6:24 to make the final score look more respectable than it was.

Senior forward Nate Carter, who replaced Longar in the starting lineup, led three Sooners in double figures with 18 points. Taylor Griffin added 15 while Michael Neal chipped in 13.

With the loss, the Sooners fell to 9-6 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 play. Texas improved to 13-3 and 3-0 in conference action.

Oklahoma will look to rebound Wednesday when they return to the Lloyd Noble Center for a matchup against Nebraska. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Box Score