Feb. 1, 2006

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- P.J. Tucker scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and added 11 rebounds to help No. 7 Texas beat Missouri 66-53 on Wednesday night.

Kenton Paulino added 14 points for the Longhorns (18-3, 6-1 Big 12), who shrugged off a 10-point loss at Oklahoma on Saturday and have won 10 of 11. The Longhorns led by eight at halftime despite 33-percent shooting.

Texas led by as many as 21 points in the second half before Missouri made it somewhat respectable at the finish with 11 straight points. Texas scored only three points in the final 4:12.

Missouri (10-9, 3-5) has lost four in a row, all by double digits and two of them at home. Jimmy McKinney had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin Young had 13 points and Thomas Gardner added 15 on an off-night.

Gardner, the Big 12's leading scorer with a 21-point average, missed 10 of his first 11 shots and finished 5-for-16. He has struggled against the two highest-ranked teams Missouri has faced, getting only six against Illinois in December.

Tucker was 1-for-4 from the field in the first half and 9-for-11 the rest of the way. The double-double was his first in seven games since the Big 12 opener.

Texas ran its winning streak to eight in a row over Missouri, seven of them against Quin Snyder. The Longhorns are the only Big 12 team that Snyder hasn't beaten.

Missouri was held to 38-percent shooting and fell to 3-1 against ranked teams at the year-old Mizzou Arena. Texas has held 10 of its last 11 opponents below 40 percent, four of them below 30 percent.

Texas missed 10 of its first 13 shots and had only nine points after the first 11 minutes, but trailed by only four. A pair of 3-pointers by Paulino in a span of 35 seconds late in the half helped give the Longhorns, who led 28-20 at halftime, some breathing room.