By JIM VERTUNO, AP Sports Writer
January 12, 2003
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The Big 12 is physical, and that suits Texas just fine.
The No. 8 Longhorns broke out of a shooting slump and got their first taste this season of temper-flaring, chest-bumping Big 12 basketball in a 70-50 win Saturday night over Iowa State.
``It was real aggressive from beginning to end,'' said Texas point guard T.J. Ford, who scored 11 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
``You're playing to make it to the tournament now. You've got to play every game like it's your last,'' he said.
Ford was one of six players to score in double figures for Texas (10-2).
Brian Boddicker scored 11 points and Jason Klotz, Sydmill Harris, Royal Ivey and Brandon Mouton each scored 10. Texas shot better than 40 percent for the first time in four games.
Jake Sullivan scored 23 for Iowa State (10-3, 0-2) in the Cyclones' first game of the season outside of their home state.
Texas is undefeated in conference openers in coach Rick Barnes' five seasons. And after lethargic wins over Princeton, Louisiana Tech and Mount St. Mary's, played its best game in a month.
The Longhorns shot 24 of 53 shots and won the boards 39-32 even with James Thomas, the Big 12's leading rebounder, playing just 17 minutes with foul trouble.
``I told our team coming in there's not going to be any more physical of a game,'' said Barnes, who got his 100th victory at Texas.
Iowa State, meanwhile, has watched the promise of a 10-1 start against the likes of Coe College and Savannah State disintegrate with two straight blowout losses in the Big 12. The Cyclones are in the middle of a four-game stretch against ranked opponents.
``We couldn't guard them with anything. We couldn't play with them,'' Cyclones coach Larry Eustachy said. ``We've got some guys crying in the locker room.''
Just like their blowout loss to Kansas, the Cyclones were nearly buried under another horrid first half with 3-of-17 shooting in the first 13 minutes.
Unlike the Kansas game, however, the Cyclones at least made this one interesting for a little while in the second.
Texas led 16-4 when Ford finished a nifty behind-the-back dribble in the lane with a tough layup and followed it with a pull-up 3-pointer.
Harris knocked down a pair of 3s for a 26-11 Texas lead. Things got testy after that.
Klotz gave Iowa State's Jared Homan a forearm to the chest while the two were jostling away from the ball. They had to be separated on the other end of the floor when Homan and Ford got into a staredown, and Klotz bear-hugged Homan from behind. Thomas was hit with a technical foul for coming off the bench and onto the court.
That just fired up Klotz, who scored eight straight points, including a last-second layup on a pass from Ford for a 34-21 halftime lead.
``He's dirty guy,'' Klotz said. ``I had to grab him before he got to T.J. It lights a fire under you a little bit.''
The Cyclones were not intimidated, however. Sullivan, who shook off a dislocated pinkie finger on his shooting hand in the first half, scored 10 of his team's first 12 points of the second. His 3-pointer cut the Texas lead to 48-44 with 10:18 to play.
``He was lighting us up,'' Ivey said.
But that was as close as it got. Texas tightened up its defense on Sullivan and let him take just two more shots.
``I'd rather have zero (points) and be a winner right now,'' Sullivan said. ``Before you knew it, we were down by 13 again.''
Ford hit a pull-up jumper, Harris hit another 3 and a 10-0 Texas run made it 58-44 as the Longhorns closed with a 22-6 run.
Updated on Sunday, Jan 12, 2003 12:12 am, EST
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