Columbia, Mo. ? Missouri’s only freshman starter isn’t bashful about putting the ball up.

Thomas Gardner scored all but three of his 16 points in the second half, including three three-pointers that spurred a long-range attack, helping the Tigers pull away for a 62-53 victory Saturday over Kansas State.

“I don’t really see it as big shots,” Gardner said. “I feel that every shot we make is a big shot for our team.”

Gardner got his third start of the season and topped double figures for the third straight game. He is averaging 14.7 points in that stretch and did most of his scoring against Kansas State after dislocating his left ring finger midway through the first half.

“He made a couple of jump shots,” coach Quin Snyder said. “More important is his competitiveness. The emotion that he shows … he’s a catalyst in that respect.”

The Tigers (9-8, 4-3 Big 12 Conference) were 1-for-11 from three-point range in the first half but 6-for-11 the rest of the way. Missouri hit only three-pointers, making six of them to go with four free throws, in a 16-minute stretch that ended on Arthur Johnson’s shot from the baseline with 2:11 to go.

“We took the same amount of three-point shots in the second half as the first,” Snyder said “But they were better shots because the ball was moving inside-out, and we weren’t just settling for a jumper.”

Jarrett Hart had a career-best 20 points for Kansas State, doubling his average. The Wildcats (9-8, 1-5) have lost 19 straight Big 12 games on the road dating to a 72-67 victory at Colorado March 3, 2001.

No. 18 Okie State 70, No. 13 Texas Tech 66

Stillwater, Okla. — Tony Allen scored 20 points, and John Lucas hit four free throws in the final 12 seconds to lead Oklahoma State in a foul-plagued game.

Oklahoma State (15-2, 5-1 Big 12) now is on a five-game winning streak, putting the Cowboys into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Kansas and Texas.

Allen put in his usual steady offensive performance, but it was his second-half defense on Andre Emmett, the Big 12’s leading scorer at 21.5 points a game, that clinched the win.

Emmett finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, but didn’t score a basket in the final 16 minutes and couldn’t even free himself to get the ball down the stretch.

Emmett had averaged 28.2 points against Oklahoma State in the previous six games, including 32 in Tech’s 83-62 win three weeks ago.

Jarrius Jackson led the Red Raiders (16-3, 4-1) with 22 points.

No. 16 Texas 69, Texas A&M 59

College Station, Texas — Texas didn’t allow a field goal in the final 12:41 and beat Texas A&M on the road for the 10th straight time.

The Longhorns (14-3, 5-1 Big 12) shot just 28.2 percent from the floor in the first half, but were able to overcome it thanks to their late defensive performance.

Brian Boddicker and Kenton Paulino led Texas with 11 points, while Jason Klotz added 10. Guard Royal Ivey had 10 rebounds. Nick Anderson had 14 points and six rebounds for A&M (7-10, 0-6), which has lost six in a row.

Colorado 81, Baylor 66

Boulder, Colo. — David Harrison scored 26 points on 10-of-10 shooting and also had 10 rebounds, leading Colorado over Baylor.

Harrison’s perfect shooting was a school record, eclipsing the 9-of-9 by John Addison against Midwestern State in 1979.

Colorado (12-6, 4-3 Big 12) also got 21 points from Michel Morandais.

Harvey Thomas led Baylor (6-13, 1-5) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. R.T. Guinn had 13 points, and Terrance Thomas had 12 points and 10 rebounds.