NEBRASKA 10, Oklahoma St. 5

Sunday, May 20th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Dan Johnson hit two home runs, including a three-run shot in a seven-run sixth inning Saturday, as Nebraska beat Oklahoma State 10-5 to earn a chance at a third straight Big 12 tournament title.

The Cornhuskers (44-14) will play Texas A&M for the championship at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Aggies (33-26) eliminated Oklahoma earlier in the day, 10-1.

Johnson hit his 21st home run of the season in the fifth inning, giving the Cornhuskers a 3-0 lead. They had also scored single runs in the third and fourth innings off Shane Hawk (2-3).

Tito Rivera had an RBI double and Matt Hopper drove in a run with a single before Johnson's homer to right made the score 8-0 in the sixth. The final two runs in the inning were set up by two errors.

The Cowboys (40-20) scored twice in the bottom of the sixth and got a two-run single from Brad Bouris in the eighth, when they scored three times. But Brandon Penas came on with the bases loaded and got the final out in the eighth, then Thom Ott worked the ninth inning and had no trouble.

Hopper, John Cole and Jeff Leise had three hits each for the Cornhuskers. Jimbo McAuliff and Roy York did the same for Oklahoma State.