The Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. - Without his buddy Luke Walton to share the load, Jason Gardner took over down the stretch in top-ranked Arizona's first big test of the season.

Gardner scored six of his 13 points over the final 2:03 as the Wildcats survived a rough afternoon to beat No. 8 Texas 73-70 on Sunday.

The point guard who has started all but one game since he came to Arizona four years ago made two 15-footers that put the Wildcats ahead for good, and drew a crucial offensive foul on counterpart T.J. Ford.

"He's a big-time player," Ford said of Gardner. "He's their leader, and that's what he did. When it got down to the crunch, he stepped up and hit some tough shots."

Arizona (5-0) has beaten Texas (5-2) in seven consecutive years

The game was rough, with the Big 12 officiating crew allowing players to play the physical style that Texas loves, where Pac-10 officials often call games frustratingly close. Gardner was bounced around like a pinball at times.

"If this had been a couple years ago, he would have gotten emotionally involved in the game and let that affect him," Wildcats coach Lute Olson said. "Here, he took the physical play and played through it."

TEXAS (5-2)-Buckman 2-4 0-0 4, Thomas 7-12 6-10 20, Mouton 1-6 1-2 4, Ford 5-15 2-3 13, Ivey 1-4 1-1 3, Paulino 0-1 1-2 1, Harris 3-10 303 12, Klotz 2-4 2-2 6, Erskin 0-2 0-0 0, Ross 0-1 0-0 0, Boddicker 3-7 0-0 7, Ross 0-1 0-0 0, Ogden 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-66 16-23 70.

ARIZONA (5-0)-Iguodala 3-5 2-4 9, Anderson 2-7 2-2 6, Fox 4-6 3-4 11, Bynum 1-5 0-0 2, Gardner 5-14 3-6 13, Stoudamire 4-11 2-2 14, Adams 4-9 0-0 8, Latimore 2-2 3-4 7, Rodgers 1-3 0-0 2, Frye 0-4 1-2 1. Totals 26-66 16-24 73.

Halftime-34-34. 3-Point goals-Texas 6-20 (Harris 3-9, Mouton 1-2, Ford 1-3, Boddicker 1-3, Ross 0-1, Ivey 0-2) Arizona 5-15 (Stoudamire 4-8, Iguodala 1-1, Bynum 0-2, Gardner 0-4).

No. 25 Coll. of Charleston 66, Stetson 64

DELAND, Fla. - Marcus Johnson scored 17 points and the Cougars (7-1) held off a late charge from the winless Hatters.

Mike Benton added 13 points for the Cougars (7-1)), who were coming off an 82-64 loss to Central Florida on Thursday.

Alexis McMillan and E.J. Gordon each had 15 points for Stetson (0-6), which closed to 61-60 on a basket by Ravii Givens with 5:08 remaining. Scoring only on free throws, Charleston went up 66-62, but the Hatters got within two on Gordon's basket with 1:25 to play.

Stetson had the final possession but couldn't get a shot off, and Gordon threw an errant pass.

"We got a little tired in the second half," first-year Charleston coach Tom Herrion said. "It wasn't a great second half, but we found a way to get out of here with a victory."

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (7-1) - Weurding 3-6 3-4 11, Mobley 2-7 2-2 8, Benton 5-6 3-5 13, Harris 0-2 0-2 0, Wheless 3-6 0-0 7, Mitchell 1-4 0-0 2, Hollis 2-6 0-0 4, Z. Johnson 2-3 0-0 4, M. Johnson 5-7 5-6 17. Team Totals 23-47 13-19 66.

STETSON (0-6) - McMillan 5-12 3-3 15, Craig 2-7 0-0 4, Stiles 5-9 0-0 11, Gordon 7-16 0-2 15, Givens 4-8 2-2 10, Register 0-1 0-0 0, McNeal 1-7 1-2 3, Patterson 0-1 0-0 0, Morris 2-4 0-0 6, DeWitt 0-2 0-0 0. Team Totals 26-67 6-9 64.

Halftime-Charleston 45, Stetson 32. 3-Point goals-Charleston 7-16 (Weurding 2-3, Mobley 2-4, Wheless 1-4, Mitchell 0-1, Hollis 0-1, M. Johnson 2-3), Stetson 6-24 (McMillan 2-5, Craig 0-1, Stiles 1-2, Gordon 1-4, Givens 0-3, Register 0-1, McNeal 0-3, Patterson 0-1, Morris 2-2, Dewitt 0-2).

No. 17 Tulsa 62,

SW Missouri 46

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Senior forward Kevin Johnson sounded like a coach after the Golden Hurricane's victory over the Bears (2-4).

"We didn't have the team consistency here," said Johnson, who had 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots for Tulsa (5-1) on Saturday night. "We were trying to play individual ball, but we've got to work together. ... Everybody has got to step up."

INDIANA UPDATE: Indiana reached the Final Four in March primarily because of its 3-point shooting. Now the Hoosiers are demonstrating they can win another way.

Despite some dismal shooting performances this season - the most recent one coming Saturday night at the RCA Dome - the Hoosiers have opened the season with eight straight wins thanks to their ability to produce on the inside.

"Jeff Newton is giving us the same thing Jared Jeffries gave us last year," coach Mike Davis said after Saturday's 66-63 victory over Purdue. "He is really playing well. He's confident. I've just got to make sure I get the basketball to him."

For the seventh-ranked Hoosiers, who could rise even higher this week with an 8-0 start and back-to-back wins over Vanderbilt and Purdue, Newton has become a major part of the offense and defense.

He's had double-doubles in five straight games, the first Hoosier to achieve that since Alan Henderson in 1995, and Saturday he almost single-handedly rallied the Hoosiers in the game's final minutes despite missing his first six shots.

Newton also has been teamed with George Leach, and together, they have produced a potent shot-blocking combination that has forced opponents to go outside.

That's what it did to the Boilermakers (4-2).

"It was a great challenge to play against those two," said Chris Booker, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Purdue. "They're two of the best in the country. They're both pretty strong and they both seem to have a great feel for blocking shots."