The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
No. 25 Men's Basketball downs Missouri, 88-68
01.10.2007 | Men's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Kevin Durant scored 34 points and No. 25 Texas ran its winning streak over Missouri to nine with an 88-68 victory Wednesday night, sending the Tigers to an 0-2 start in the Big 12 under first-year coach Mike Anderson.
A.J. Abrams added 16 points for the Longhorns (12-3, 2-0), who hit 12 3-pointers. Marshall Brown scored 24 points, 22 in the second half, to lead Missouri (11-4).
The Tigers haven't beaten the Longhorns since 1999, when Norm Stewart coached his last regular-season game at Missouri, which also happened to be his final career victory.
Durant leads the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding. He tied Texas and conference freshman scoring records with 37 points in the Longhorns' conference-opening win over Colorado.
Like everyone else, the Tigers had no way to stop the long and lean freshman forward from scoring just about anywhere on the court. Durant hit 10 of 14 shots with two 3-pointers and was 12-of-13 on free throws. He also grabbed 13 rebounds.
Texas starts four freshmen and Missouri came out with a burst that made it look as though the Tigers could be more physical than the Longhorns. Leo Lyons scored Missouri's first eight points, most of them from right under the basket.
But it didn't take long for Texas to find the right defense to shut him down and for Durant to start heating up. Lyons never scored again, and Durant had 15 points in the first half.
Missouri's tough halfcourt pressure forced Texas into 11 turnovers in the half but couldn't stop the Longhorns from finding wide-open shots on the perimeter. Texas hit eight 3-pointers to take a 44-26 lead into halftime.
Durant hit a 3-pointer early in the second and the Longhorns built the lead as high as 65-38.
But just when Texas was starting to make it look too easy, the Tigers found a way to make it interesting.
Missouri's constant ball pressure finally started forcing Texas into bad shots. Brown hit a pair of 3-pointers and a 17-4 Missouri run cut the lead to 69-55 with 7 minutes left.
The rally didn't last. Texas got the lead back over 20 when Abrams hit a 3-pointer and Durant snatched up a loose ball and loped to an easy layup for a 76-55 cushion.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The game featured a seven-minute delay with 19:23 left on the second-half clock.
- The Longhorns are 9-0 in Big 12 home openers under Rick Barnes.
- Kevin Durant became the first freshman in Big 12 history to record back-to-back 30 point games. He is the second freshman in Big 12 history to score 30 or more points in a game multiple times during his first year. Texas A&M's Bernard King netted 30 points or more three times during the 1999-2000 season.
- Kevin Durant's 71 points in back-to-back games marks a new UT freshman record.
- Kevin Durant posted his fourth straight and ninth double-double of the year with 34 points and 13 rebounds. In the last four games, Durant has averaged 28.3 points and 15.3 rebounds.
- The Longhorns opened up Big 12 Conference play by hitting at least 52.0 percent from 3-point range in each of their first two games, including 13-of-25 (52.0%) against Colorado and 12-of-23 (52.2%) against Missouri.
- The Longhorns shot a combined 16-of-27 (59.3 percent) from 3-point range in the second half of their win over Colorado (8-of-12) and first half this evening against Missouri (8-of-15).
- The Longhorns have recorded at least a +10 rebound margin in seven of their 15 games on the season and have averaged +15.0 in rebound margin in their last four games.
- Kevin Durant has reached the 20-point plateau in 13 of his 15 games this season and the freshman has tallied double digits in the scoring column in every game.
- Texas has started the season with a 9-0 record at the Erwin Center for the fourth time in the last five seasons. This season the Longhorns own a +27.6 scoring margin in their nine home games.
- Texas has registered a 96-8 (.923) record in home games against unranked (AP) opponents during the Rick Barnes era. The Horns have won 57 of their last 59 home contests against unranked opponents.
- The Longhorns posted their 20 th straight home win and are 68-4 (.944) at the Erwin Center over the last five seasons.
- D.J. Augustin has reached double figures in the scoring (13 points) for the eighth straight game each and the 11 th time in 15 contests this year.
- A.J. Abrams has made at least three 3-pointers in 13 of the first 15 games.
- Texas has had at least one player log at least 20 points in game every game this season.
- Texas has had at least one player log at least 10 rebounds in each of the last eight contests and the 12 times on the year.
- Texas has made at least seven 3-pointers in 13 of their first 15 games, including their last six and at least 10 3-pointers in eight games.
- The seven freshmen combined to log 62 of the 88 points (70.5%), 27 of the 36 rebounds (75.0%) and 12 of the 16 assists (75.0%).
MISSOURI POSTGAME QUOTES
Mike Anderson, Head Coach
On their defense: I think we came out hard, but they were shooting the ball well. When they make the first six shots then it puts the odds against you for changing your defense. We had no answer for them.
On how the team played: We are a team that is a work in progress. We played in spurts, there were times where we played well and there were times that we didn't. The guys didn't fold with the tent and give in, but a loss is a loss.
TEXAS POSTGAME QUOTES
Rick Barnes, Head Coach
On the game: We slowed down a little bit in the second half, and there wasn't as much rhythm to the game in the second half, obviously. Overall, against a team like Missouri, that is going to keep coming at you, I think we did a pretty good job.
On Missouri: They played zone most of the game and even though we got in some trouble we managed to do some good things. Some guys tried to do a little too much but we shot the ball well and other than the turnovers, we played a pretty good first half, a pretty good game.
Kevin Durant, Freshman Forward
On the early conference games: Both of our conference games have been really hard. Missouri has a great team and they tried to come back in the second half. We had to fight through that and make sure we put them away.
J.D. Lewis, Junior Guard
On his role with the team: I just want to play my role. That means, go in, play really solid defense, guard whoever they want me to. Shoot the ball when I'm open and find the other guys when they're open.
D.J. Augustin, Freshman Guard
On the game: We come out intense early on, but lost a little of that after halftime. We just tried to control the ball and control our turnovers.
