Jayhawks Down Texas In OT To Win Big 12

Sunday, March 11th 2007, 3:58 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Sherron Collins scored 20 points and No. 2 Kansas rallied after another hot start by Texas' Kevin Durant to beat the 15th-ranked Longhorns 88-84 in overtime Sunday and claim their second straight Big 12 title.

Durant, the Big 12 player of the year, matched his career high with 37 points but took only two shots in overtime and did not score.

Russell Robinson hit a jumper from the left wing to put Kansas on top 83-81 with 2:19 left in the extra period, and Julian Wright added a free throw to push the lead to 3. D.J. Augustin had a 3-point attempt and a runner in the lane blocked on consecutive Texas possessions, and Darnell Jackson's 2-free throws extended Kansas' lead to 86-81 with 13.2 seconds left.

A.J. Abrams hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to give Texas one last chance, but Robinson hit 2-foul shots with 5.3 seconds left to seal the win. Durant's final shot _ a 3-pointer from the right wing _ caromed away with 2 seconds left.

Wright and Brandon Rush each added 19 points, and Mario Chalmers _ who hit the tying 3-pointer to force overtime _ scored 17 for Kansas, which has won five Big 12 titles. The Jayhawks enter the NCAA tournament on a season-best 11-game winning streak.

Abrams added 19 points for Texas, which led by 22 points in the 1st-half. Two days after rallying from 20 points down against Baylor in the biggest comeback in Big 12 tournament history, the Longhorns gave up an even bigger lead.