No. 19 Texas slipped out a last-second 81-80 win against Louisville in the Saatva Empire Classic Semifinals in Madison Square Garden.

Both the Longhorns and Cardinals battled fiercely in the close matchup with no lead occurring in the game that was greater than five points

Texas was down 80-79 with 38 seconds left on the clock. Its defense was able to keep them in the game, with a shot clock violation that resulted in a turnover. Graduate guard Max Abmas, with a little less than eight seconds to score, flew down the court and made a two-point shot around the wing.

“I was just thinking, ‘Go win,’” Abmas said to ESPN after the game.

While Abmas had 14 points, leading scorer graduate forward Kadin Shedrick shined.

Shedrick finished off the day with 27 points, a career-high in scoring for the Virginia transfer. His size made him dominant in rebounds, with seven, and he was an offensive force in the paint. Even with his shoulder still injured, he seemed to be Texas’ biggest asset.

While Texas prevailed, it did not hold up in comparison to Louisville’s three-point shooting capabilities. Texas left the semifinal game with an 11.8% three percentage in contrast to the Cardinals who shot at 43.8%.

Two major forces preventing Texas from building a substantial lead were sophomore guards Tre White and Skyy Clark, both of whom put up 20 points each and had half of the Cardinals’ total points.

Louisville also lost out on freshman center Dennis Evans and junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, both of whom fouled out in the double bonus.

“I thought we fought the whole game,” Abmas said on the TV broadcast. “I think we’re resilient.”

While the game was the closest matchup Texas has seen this season, Texas now has its work even more cut out for them as they have to take on reigning national champion No. 5 UConn tomorrow at 6 p.m. CT.