The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Louisiana-Monroe
No. 2 Men's Basketball dominates La.-Monroe
11.26.2005 | Men's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- P.J. Tucker hit all nine of his shots, including his first career 3-pointer, to score 19 points in leading No. 2 Texas to a 90-55 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
After tough wins over No. 13 West Virginia and No. 18 Iowa, the Longhorns (5-0) coasted past the overmatched Indians. LaMarcus Aldridge had his fifth consecutive double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Tucker's only shooting blemish was a pair of missed free throws late in the second half.
Cecil Hood led Louisiana-Monroe (3-3) with 15 points.
The Longhorns played without starting forward Brad Buckman, who sat out the game with a hip injury. But even with him on the bench, the Longhorns were too physical up front and too quick in the backcourt and an early rash of turnovers and fouls by the Indians allowed Texas to quickly seize control.
Texas forced 14 turnovers in the first half. Tucker had four steals, the first leading to an Aldridge dunk. Aldridge then tipped the ball to A.J. Abrams for a 3-pointer and Tucker' second steal led to an easy layup.
Another dunk by Aldridge on a perfect feed from Daniel Gibson, followed by two more 3-pointers from Gibson and Connor Atchley in an 18-5 Texas run opened up a 37-17 lead and the Longhorns slowly expanded the lead from there.
If Texas struggled, it was from 3-point range where the Longhorns were 8-of-26. Gibson, the Longhorns' best long-range shooter, hit 9-of-17 away from home against West Virginia and Iowa, but has struggled to find the same stroke in Texas' three easy wins. He was 2-of-9 against Louisiana-Monroe.
Texas led 43-31 early in the second half when Tucker stepped out to the right corner for his 3-pointer. A 6-foot-5 force of muscle and raw power under the basket his first two seasons, the junior moved to small forward this season and has been showing off his developing shooting touch over the first five games.
Postgame quotes
TEXAS
Head Coach Rick Barnes
On new guys playing: Without guys like Brad [Buckman] playing it's important to give other guys like Mike Williams, Connor Atchley, and Craig Winder time to find new roles. This was Mike's longest time playing and he has to learn how to play when he's tired. Conner was also able to gain some more experience and Craig had great energy tonight.
On P.J. Tucker becoming complete: P.J. [Tucker] has always had really good ball skills and he has spent a lot of time working on his jump shot. P.J. doesn't feel any pressure to shoot it, but if he's open he's going to take the shot, and he's not going to take a shot he's not comfortable with.
P.J. Tucker, Junior Forward
On his overall shooting tonight: I just got all of my open shots. They are the shots I have practiced. The guys set me up for them, especially the three-pointer up in the corner. I got some shots in the paint, some five and ten-footers. There were just open shots and that's what we practice.
On his teammates' playing time in the absence of Brad Buckman: When a guy like Buck [Brad Buckman] is out, a guy who puts up big numbers, somebody has got to pick up the slack. Mike [Williams] came in and did a pretty good job and Connor [Atchley] came in and did a great job of filling that void.
Daniel Gibson, Sophomore Guard
On his three-point shooting: I might need to take things with the flow, let things develop more. I don't know, maybe we should change the color of the floor. It's going to come around. I have been practicing a lot and I don't think it's going to be a problem. I'll knock them down eventually.
On Texas' defense tonight: I think we really stepped it up on defense. We brought a lot of energy, and guys were helping each other out a lot. As long as we have each others' backs and play as a unit I don't feel like there is anybody that can stop us. As long as we keep improving, we are in good shape.
A.J. Abrams, Freshman Guard
On his comfort on the court: I felt pretty comfortable today. Daniel [Gibson] and I have been working together a lot at practice and that makes me a lot more comfortable out there. I like passing the ball and getting people open shots, so I think I'll take the role of playmaker over shooter.
On the toughest part of being a freshman: I think the toughest part is being the only one. I am the only freshman here. On the court, I don't feel like a freshman. I just feel like a basketball player playing with my teammates.
LOUISIANA-MONROE
Head Coach Orlando Early
General Comments: Texas Longhorns are a very very good team, one of the top five in the nation for sure, number two in the polls. They are going to be very tough to beat for a lot of teams this year because they can beat you inside and they can beat you outside.
On Texas: Their two best qualities are inside scoring and defense. They really get after you and guard you, they get extremely physical. Their ability to score inside, and just their physical presence inside is tremendous. They can rebound as good as any other team in the country.
