OKLAHOMA CITY ? With his team’s best player limited by an ankle injury, J.P. Batista came off the bench to lift No. 12 Gonzaga to another big victory.

Batista shot 8-of-9 from the floor for a career-high 18 points, and Adam Morrison scored 19, helping the Bulldogs beat No. 3 Oklahoma State, 78-75, Tuesday night in Gonzaga’s second victory against a third-ranked team this season.

Batista received more playing time because Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga’s leading scorer, was hampered by an ankle injury and foul trouble.

“I knew that Ronny was kind of doubtful for tonight, and I had to prepare myself mentally to step up at the right times,” Batista said.

Batista, a junior-college transfer, hit his first eight shots as the Bulldogs (10-1) used a strong shooting performance to build a big lead before holding on for the win.

Gonzaga led by as many as 16 points early in the second half, but needed a strong finish to hold off the charging Cowboys.

Oklahoma State (9-1) pushed its way back into the game with a 21-8 run that John Lucas capped with a three-pointer to make it 65-62 with 91/2 minutes to play. After a 9-2 run by Gonzaga, the Cowboys drew to within a point on two occasions but could not take the lead.

“They’re just so tough,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “That more than anything is what I’m most proud of — we matched their toughness tonight.”

Turiaf, who had averaged 20 points in Gonzaga’s first 10 games, had 10 points in 18 minutes. Few said he thought Turiaf’s ankle was about 50 percent and he only was using the senior to fill up minutes off the bench.

Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison celebrates after the No. 12 Zags defeated No. 3 Oklahoma State. Gonzaga won, 78-75, Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

“I can’t say enough about what Ronny did tonight,” Few said.

Erroll Knight added 11 points for the Bulldogs, who are 2-1 against Top-5 teams this season. Gonzaga beat then-No. 3 Georgia Tech, 85-73, on Dec. 18 and lost to No. 1 Illinois, 89-72, on Nov. 27.

Reserve Stephen Graham scored 22 points to lead the Cowboys, and Lucas had 19.

Rutgers 76,

Kansas State 66

Manhattan — Ricky Shields scored 25 points, and Quincy Douby added 21 as Rutgers (6-3) beat Kansas State (8-1).

K-State had been off to its best start since 1997. The Scarlet Knights shot 47.2 percent (25-of-53), while KSU shot just 38.3 percent (23-of-60).

The Scarlet Knights led, 35-25, at halftime before the Wildcats made a 14-4 run. A reverse layup from Marques Hayden made it 54-52 with 8:17 left, but Cartier Martin squandered an opportunity to tie it when he stepped out of bounds while driving the baseline.

Fred Peete led Kansas State with 16 points, and Martin added 15. KSU outrebounded the Scarlet Knights, 45-27.

Baylor 84,

Prairie View 52

Waco, Texas — Tim Bush scored 20 points, and Aaron Bruce added 16, leading Baylor (5-3). The Bears outscored Prairie View 46-8 in the paint. A&M fell to 0-9.

Oklahoma 70, Tulsa 64

Oklahoma City — Jaison Williams scored a career-high 21 points, and Kevin Bookout added 10 points and 13 rebounds for Oklahoma, which squandered a 14-point second-half lead.

Anthony Price capped a 20-5 run that gave Tulsa (2-6) a 60-59 lead with three minutes left. Lawrence McKenzie answered with a three-pointer to give OU (8-2) the lead for good.

Iowa State 69,

San Diego State 59

Ames, Iowa — Curtis Stinson scored 17 for Iowa State (7-2). Jared Homan scored 16 points, and Will Blalock added 15. Brandon Heath had 20 points for the Aztecs (5-6).

Colorado 97,

Gardner-Webb 88

Boulder, Colo. — Marcus Hall scored 22 points, and Chris Copeland added 17 as Colorado (7-2) notched its fifth straight win. Simon Conn scored 26 for Gardner-Webb (5-4).