Texas managed to conquer Oklahoma State 81-65 in their second to last home game of the season, despite their inability to build a substantial lead until the final 10 minutes of the game.
“At the end of the day, it’s about getting stops and we really put a big premium on that point of the game, when they went on a run,” said Head Coach Rodney Terry about what switched in the final minutes of the game to give them a win. “Hey guys, we’re taking care of the basketball.”
The Longhorns seemed to play down to the Cowboys’ level for most of the matchup. While Texas held the lead for 93.1% of the game, it looked like a back-and-forth scoring game, with both teams having easy scoring opportunities over each other’s defenses.
Multiple turnovers and missed rebounds in the early parts of the second half caused the Cowboys to have a substantial 7-0 score run, nearing closing the gap in score. Two minutes later, the score was tied at 52. After a realization of potentially losing, a timeout called by Texas brought the team out with a new momentum on both sides of the court that wasn’t seen prior. In those last 10 minutes, Texas scored 29 points and held the Cowboy’s to 13.
The match was composed of turnovers on both ends of the court with Texas accumulating eight and forcing OSU to 15. Texas and OSU finished with 12 and six steals, respectively. The Longhorns dominated the Cowboys with 22 second chance points in comparison to OSU’s one.
The game was a foul heavy contest with both teams making it the bonus in both halves of the matchup. Texas and OSU were both able to convert 88.9% and 85.7% from the line, respectively. Texas gave up 18 points from free throws in comparison to OSU’s eight.
Graduate guard Max Abmas had an impressive game with 15 points, four assists and three steals. Not only that, but Abmas scored his 500th career 3-pointer during the first half of the game.
Both graduate forward Dylan Disu and sophomore guard Chendall Weaver were the two top scorers for Texas. Disu converted 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Weaver held onto 16 points, his Texas season high, going 7 out of 12 from field goal range including two crowd-raising dunks.
“He’s a great leader,” Weaver said about Disu’s importance to the team off the court. “You know, I’m a young guy, and he always coaches in the coaching job to tell me what to do.”
Graduate forward Brock Cunningham showed his importance with an essential 3-pointer to start them on a 14-0 run. Cunningham finished with eight points and a career high of seven rebounds.
Texas will have to take the energy from their last two wins for their rematch against No. 15 Baylor at 8 p.m. Monday in Waco.
