The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
North Texas
Men's Basketball controls paint in 86-57 win over North Texas
12.07.2004 | Men's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Brad Buckman scored 18 points and blocked seven shots to lead No. 14 Texas to an 86-57 victory over North Texas on Tuesday night.
Buckman got his first two blocks in the first two minutes and came up one short of the school record.
The Longhorns (6-1), who have shot 3-pointers with abandon early this season, did most of their damage in the paint against North Texas (3-3). Jason Klotz had 14 points and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 12.
Leonard Hopkins scored 13 to lead North Texas.
Texas got off to a ragged start, twice stopping the game in the first half because they didn't have the right number of players on the court. The Longhorns were hit with a technical foul when they had six players on the floor -- it took game officials about a minute to realize it and stop play -- and delayed a restart when they only had four.
Still, North Texas shot too poorly to take advantage. The Mean Green missed 14 of their first 15 shots from the floor, put up seven airballs in the first half and shot just 25 percent.
Even so, Texas led by just nine late in the half after the Mean Green's Calvin Watkins hit a long 3-pointer to make it 31-22.
That's when Texas closed the half with a 15-2 run that opened things up.
Buckman scored five in the burst. He was sitting on the floor after diving for a loose ball when he passed to P.J Tucker for a spinning layup that started the run.
Kenny Taylor hit a 3-pointer and Daniel Gibson hit another with 2.8 seconds left in the half to make it 46-24.
North Texas cut the deficit to 61-47 with a 13-2 run, but Texas ended any hope it gave the Mean Green as Gibson hit a 3-pointer, Aldridge and Tucker had back-to-back dunks and Buckman hit consecutive buckets to make it 78-49.
