Austin, Texas ? No flimsy piece of rope was holding this crowd back Monday night. No chance. Not when a losing streak to a bitter rival — three years in the making — had ended.

The crowd of 15,783 came to the Frank Erwin Center eager to see No. 6 Texas end an eight-game losing streak to No. 5 Oklahoma, the bitter border rival which had owned the Longhorns in recent years.

And when the final seconds ticked off Texas’ 67-61 victory, hundreds of students rushed over and under the piece of thin rope that security personnel hoped would keep them off the floor.

“I said from the beginning of the year, this is 2003; it’s a new start,” said Royal Ivey, who scored 14 points and hit the key three-pointer that gave Texas a four-point lead with two minutes to play. “This is a great win.”

Texas (16-4, 7-2 Big 12 Conference) hadn’t beaten Oklahoma since Jan. 15, 2000. The streak included three straight defeats in the Big 12 tournament and an overtime loss in Austin last season.

Finally, Texas coach Rick Barnes could talk about what went right against the Sooners, instead of what went wrong.

“We talked about each guy going in and affecting the game in his way,” Barnes said. “We got that tonight.”

Brandon Mouton scored 14 points, and James Thomas got his 10th double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Jason Klotz scored eight points, including a key bucket in the final two minutes.

Texas players Brian Boddicker, left, and Brandon Mouton steal the ball from Oklahoma's Hollis Price. The Longhorns beat the Sooners, 67-61, Monday in Austin, Texas.

Even freshman Brad Buckman, playing against the Sooners for the first time, got into the act, scoring the game’s first four points.

Hollis Price had 23 for OU (16-4, 7-2), which dropped out of a tie for first place in the conference with Oklahoma State and Kansas University.

Price, who hit four three-pointers in the first half, made it 60-59 with a three-pointer with 1:29 to play. After Texas called a timeout, Klotz hit a turnaround jumper and the Longhorns made five of six free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Sooners, used to getting the best of Texas, only could watch the final seconds tick off the clock as the Longhorns remained undefeated at home this season. The Sooners will get their rematch March 8 in Norman, Okla.

“We came so close, we know how to win close games,” Price said. “They hit big shots.”