February 15, 1999

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Eduardo Najera had 20 points and 15 rebounds as Oklahoma knocked off No. 22 Missouri, the Big 12's only ranked team, 69-57 Monday night.

Missouri, which used a 30-0 second-half run to beat Colorado on Saturday and re-enter the rankings after a one week absence, was on the wrong end of a 22-3 run to end the game against Oklahoma (19-7, 10-3).

With 5:45 to go, Missouri (18-6, 9-4) led 54-47 after John Woods hit a 3-pointer. The Tigers then went 4:14 before they scored again. Oklahoma scored 14 straight points to start the run, six by Najera.

Tim Heskett had seven of his 10 points in the closing run and Eric Martin had six of his 13.

Michael Johnson added 14 points for the Sooners, who have won six straight and three in a row against Missouri. They won for the first time in five games at the Hearnes Center and it also was coach Kelvin Sampson's 100th victory in five seasons at Oklahoma.

Monte Hardge tied his season high with 15 points for Missouri, but was only 3-for-9 at the line. The Tigers, a 65-percent free-throw shooting team, were 10-for-22 overall.

Albert White, Missouri's leading scorer with a 16-point average, was 3-for-9 and had seven points.

Oklahoma had a big rebounding edge, 46-28, with 18 on the offensive end. Martin had 10 rebounds.

Oklahoma had a 21-12 rebounding advantage and scored the last 11 points of the first half for a 34-32 lead, its first since the opening basket. Missouri was ahead 32-23 after Hardge, who had 11 points in the half, powered inside with 3:21 to go, but Hardge missed two free throws and the Tigers had two turnovers and misfired on two 3-pointers the rest of the way.

Both teams cooled off from 3-point range, each going 5-for-21. Oklahoma was coming off a 15-for-25 effort against Texas A&M and Missouri had been 20-for-38 in its two previous games.