naheim, Calif. ? AAfter blowing out their first three opponents, No. 15 Missouri found out it can survive a close game against a quality team.

Arthur Johnson had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Tigers overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half to beat Southern California, 78-72, Saturday in the John Wooden Classic.

“That showed us if we can come from behind on the road, we’re going to be a really tough team to beat,” said Jimmy McKinney, who had 12 points despite rolling his right ankle early in the game. “Once we got clicking, we knew we could win.”

Having lost offensive stars Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert, the Tigers are discovering they have several options.

“Last year we were a scoring machine,” McKinney said. “This year we’re spreading the ball around the floor.”

Ricky Clemons added 16 points and Rickey Paulding had 12 for the Tigers (4-0), who improved to 7-11 playing in California.

“We beat a really good team,” Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. “Both teams are trying to find out who they are. We knew we were in for a great game and we got one.”

Georgia defeated California 78-73 in overtime in the first game of the doubleheader at Anaheim Arena that honors Wooden, the 92-year-old former UCLA coach.

Missouri has held all four of its opponents to 40 percent or less from the floor. The Trojans (2-3) shot 33 percent.

No. 2 Texas 100, George Washington 92

Washington – James Thomas had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds as Texas (5-0) advanced to today’s championship game of the BB&T Classic. T.J. Ford added 16 points for the Longhorns.

Texas' James Thomas (0) dunks over George Washington's Pops Mensah-Bonsu. The second-ranked Longhorns held on to defeat the Colonials, 100-92, in the first round of the BB&T Classic on Saturday in Washington.

No. 6 Oklahoma 92, Hartford 52

Norman, Okla. – Ebi Ere scored a career-high 33 points and Hollis Price added 17 for Oklahoma. Ere had 19 points in the first half when the Sooners (4-1) built a 46-29 lead.

Texas Tech 107, Nicholls State 35

Lubbock, Texas – Texas Tech, led by Andre Emmett’s 21 points, crushed Nicholls State for Tech’s widest-ever margin of victory. The 72-point margin surpassed Tech’s previous 65-point record, a 118-53 victory against Houston Baptist in 1992. The Red Raiders (5-0) led 54-19 at halftime.

TCU 72, Baylor 64

Waco, Texas – TCU’s Junior Blount hit two three-pointers and Corey Santee added another to spark a late 17-2 run in the Horned Frogs’ comeback. The barrage gave TCU (3-2) a 67-55 lead with 3:52 remaining.

Texas A&M 83, Prairie View 78, 2OT

Prairie View, Texas – Antoine Wright scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Texas A&M (5-1) held on to beat Prairie View A&M. Bernard King had 18 for the Aggies, and Turner added 14 points.

Colorado 62, UMKC 59

Kansas City, Mo. – Blair Wilson scored 16 points, including four free throws in the last 20 seconds, as Colorado (3-2) escaped with a win over Missouri-Kansas City (0-4).

ISU 86, Binghamton 56

Ames, Iowa – Jackson Vroman scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as Iowa State (5-0) rolled to win the Cyclone Challenge for the seventh time in eight years.

Wis.-Green Bay 68, KSU 64

Green Bay, Wis. – Point guard Matt Rohde scored 20 points, including nine of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s last 10, to lead the Phoenix. Green Bay (3-3) led 29-25 at halftime, and held off a rally by the Wildcats (2-4) in the closing minutes.