Down one point at the half, Texas basketball found itself in all-too-familiar territory. Burned by turnovers, poor fast break defense and a 19-4 run by the No. 11 Sooners, it looked like the rising action of a movie we’ve seen more often than not this season.
And yet, with the season a half away from near-total panic, Head Coach Rodney Terry’s Longhorns stepped up, dominating in the second half to stamp a signature win in a 75-60 beatdown over Oklahoma in Norman.
The Longhorns have struggled mightily to put together two halves of mistake-free, efficient basketball this season, and it has cost them a number of winnable games. However, Texas fixed its first-half deficiencies, outscoring the home team 43-27 in the second half to coast to its first comfortable victory in Big 12 play.
The win was a culmination of an emotional three weeks for the Longhorns, who got smoked on their home court by No. 35 Texas Tech to open conference play, beat Cincinnati on the road behind a Max Abmas buzzer-beater, dropped two straight and saved their season on Saturday with another buzzer-beating win over No. 16 Baylor. Suddenly, just days after it looked like a hangover season for the reigning Big 12 Champions, Texas has won two straight over top-15 opponents and finds itself right back in the thick of a hotly-contested Big 12.
Graduate guard Max Abmas led the way for the Longhorns, posting an efficient 22 points on a night in which he moved into 15th in the NCAA all-time scoring list. The Oral Roberts transfer displayed masterful three-level scoring and most importantly was a plus defensively, an area he had been picked on during Texas’ skid.
Texas came storming out of the gates to start the second half, putting together a 17-9 run spearheaded by Abmas. Oklahoma tied things up at 52 with just over 12 minutes to play, but Abmas quickly answered with a three and the Sooners would score just eight points the rest of the way as Texas’ offense rolled and its defense smothered.
Graduate forward Dylan Disu notched his first double-double of the year in the win, stuffing the stat sheet with 19 points, 10 boards and four assists. He posted one of his better nights defensively as Texas’ de facto center and his burgeoning sharpshooter status continues to make the Longhorns difficult to guard.
Sophomore guard Chendall Weaver, whose late-game heroics helped Texas secure the win over Baylor on Saturday, built on his performance, posting a career-high in minutes and points as a Longhorn, with 27 and 11, respectively. The UT-Arlington transfer’s nonstop motor and hustle is beginning to translate from a few impact plays a game to a positive factor throughout contests. He’s forcing his way onto the floor as a result, with Terry finding success trotting out Weaver, Abmas and Hunter down the stretch.
The edge for Texas came in the shooting numbers. The Longhorns shot a blistering 62.5% from distance in the second half compared to just 22.2% for the Sooners, and were able to overcome 13 turnovers.
With the win, Texas notches its sixth consecutive victory over Oklahoma and its fifth straight win in Norman and looks like a team beginning to find its wings. The Longhorns appeared to be on life support a week ago, but have responded to adversity in impressive fashion with back-to-back wins. Texas’ gauntlet continues as it travels to Provo for a clash with No. 21 BYU on Saturday before returning to Austin for a test against No. 4 Houston on Monday.
