Hamilton’s 27 points help No. 9 Texas get back on track with 72-60 win at Oklahoma State

Freshman Hamilton leads No. 9 Texas past OSU 72-60

STILLWATER, Okla. — Freshman swingman Jordan Hamilton scored a career-high 27 points and No. 9 Texas finally slowed down James Anderson in the second half to beat Oklahoma State 72-60 on Monday night.

The Longhorns (19-3, 5-2 Big 12) had lost three of their previous four games after reaching No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history. But they got back on track Monday, winning in a building that’s been a house of horrors for Texas teams with top-10 rankings.

Texas had lost the last three times it brought a top-10 ranking into Gallagher-Iba Arena. This time, the Longhorns fell behind by 11 in the first half before Hamilton got going.

He scored all but two of his points in the final 22 minutes and put the game away with a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:19 remaining that gave Texas a 13-point lead.

Anderson had 28 points to lead Oklahoma State (16-6, 4-4), but only four in the second half. Obi Muonelo added 12 points and Matt Pilgrim had 11 points and 10 rebounds in his first start since the second game of the season.

The Cowboys played without starting point guard Ray Penn for the fourth straight game due to a knee injury and cleaned up their game after averaging 19.7 turnovers without him.

OSU gave it away only 11 times, but Texas was even better with a season-low five turnovers while shooting 59 percent in the second half (16 for 27). Oklahoma State had a 16-game home winning streak snapped.

Hamilton spurred the Longhorns ahead during a 10-0 run midway through the second half. It started when he drove the baseline for a right-handed jam, and Gary Johnson’s basket inside gave Texas a 46-45 lead with 12 minutes left.

Hamilton followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to give Texas a seven-point edge before Muonelo hit consecutive jumpers for OSU — but then Hamilton was back at it again.

He carved his way into the lane for another bucket and hit a 3-pointer from the left wing before Damion James hit two free throws for a 59-49 Texas lead.

Hamilton finished 11 for 16 from the field and made five of his eight 3-point attempts. James added 14 points and Avery Bradley scored 10 for Texas.

Former Texas star Kevin Durant walked in just in time to catch Oklahoma State make its big push into the lead. The Cowboys scored the next nine points after Durant found his seat two rows behind the Texas bench, and it ended up being a 19-6 run that featured 12 points by Anderson.

His three-point play off a jumper from the right side put OSU ahead 27-16 with 5:25 left before halftime. Anderson shot 8 for 9 in the first half, making all three of his 3-pointers. He went only 2 for 8 in the second half.

The Longhorns closed to 36-32 as Hamilton scored seven of the last nine points before halftime, and Texas tied it up with the first four points after the break.