The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
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North Florida
No. 22 Men's Basketball pulls away from North Florida, 70-48
12.14.2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2010
Box Score 
| Box Score |
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Gary Johnson says he's finding his comfort zone in the Texas offense. The Longhorns need him to stay there because the season is about to get much tougher.
The senior forward scored 17 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds, helping the 22nd-ranked Longhorns coast past North Florida 70-48 on Tuesday night.
Freshman guard Cory Johnson added 18 points as those two carried the Longhorns through an otherwise sluggish effort.
"I guess I'm just finding a niche," Johnson said, noting he's still getting used to playing with Joseph and freshman post player Tristan Thompson in the lineup. "I think we still have a long way to go chemistry-wise."
Johnson also had to find his rhythm out on the wing when coach Rick Barnes put him farther out from the basket than he's used to.
"He does a pretty good job, he just needs some time out there," Barnes said. "Over the last couple of games he's played really well."
Joseph kept up his torrid shooting for the Longhorns (8-2) as well, hitting 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Joseph has been Texas' best scorer of late, leading the Longhorns in points four of the last five games.
But the Longhorns' run of easy games against overmatched opponents is finished.
Texas has won 25 straight at home against non-conference opponents and now goes on the road to face North Carolina in Greensboro on Saturday and No. 14 Michigan State on Dec. 22. Coppin State, Arkansas and No. 4 Connecticut at home round out the schedule before the start of Big 12 play on Jan. 11.
"I don't know if the freshmen know what they are getting into playing against opponents like that," Johnson said. "I think we have what it takes to come together as a team and overcome it."
Joseph scored 12 points and Johnson had 10 in the first half against North Florida as Texas built a 35-16 lead. Seven turnovers and 33 percent shooting kept the Longhorns from finding much offensive continuity, but the Longhorns outrebounded North Florida 30-16 in the half.
Johnson had eight rebounds in the half and Joseph's third 3-pointer put Texas up by 19 points.
In the second, Johnson kept finding the mid-range jumper he has used so effectively in recent games. He even tried - but missed - two 3-pointers in the game. Thompson slammed an alley-oop dunk on a nifty pass from J'Covan Brown and Texas built the lead to 43-19.
Then the Longhorns went into a deep slump, going scoreless over the next six minutes until Jordan Hamilton got a long 3-pointer to fall after taking three bounces off the rim. Johnson then drove the baseline and finished a scooping reverse layup and the 3-point play made it 51-25.
Texas kept up the pressure defensively during the scoring drought, allowing North Florida just three field goals over the first 10 minutes of the second half.
"We were lazy offensively. I can't tell you how many chippies we missed around the rim," Barnes said.
Brian Holmes and Jerron Granberry each scored 10 points for North Florida (4-6).
Some of Texas' previous opponents had tried to mix up their zone and man-to-man defenses in hopes of confusing the Longhorns or catching them on a bad shooting night.
If the Ospeys did, it was by mistake, North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll said.
"Sometimes it looked like we did because guys were in the wrong place," he said.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM
- Texas owned a rebounding advantage (51-34) for the ninth time in 10 games this season
- Texas improved to 7-0 against current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference
- Texas record its 25th consecutive non-conference home win
- Texas improved to 83-7 (.922) at the Erwin Center in the last six seasons [dating back to the start of the 2005-06 season] and 173-22 (.887) at the Erwin Center under Rick Barnes
- Texas owned a 16-4 advantage in second-chance points
- Texas held an opponent under 30.0% shooting from the field for the third time this season
- Texas registered a season-high 51 rebounds, topping the 50 it posted on two prior occasions
Matt Hill
- Matched a season with six rebounds, tying the total he registered on two prior occasions
Gary Johnson
- Recorded a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds) for the second time this season and the seven time in his career (98 games)
- Matched a career high for rebounds, tying the 12 he recorded against Arkansas (1-6-09)
- Matched a season high with 17 points, tying the mark he recorded in the season opener against Navy
- Reached double digits in scoring for the sixth time this season and the 42nd time in his career
- Reached double digits in rebounding for the second time this season and the eighth time in his career
Cory Joseph
- Reached double digits in scoring (18 points) for the fifth time this season
- Averaged 18.5 points per game over the last two games
- Shot a combined 9-of-16 (.563) from three-point range over the last two games
Jai Lucas
- Registered a Texas career high for assists with four, topping the mark of three he recorded on five prior occasions
Tristan Thompson
- Blocked at least two shots for the ninth straight game
Alexis Wangmene
- Matched a career high with four free throws made, tying the mark he had on four prior occasions
- Registered a season high with five rebounds, topping the four he had on two prior occasions
TEXAS QUOTES
Head coach Rick Barnes
On how the team played tonight: We were lazy offensively. I can't tell you how many shots we missed. I thought we were lazy with the ball, too. We were getting the ball taken away from us. We were playing straight up, and that happens when you play straight up, whether you're shooting the ball or you're going to double team, you're going to get the ball taken away from you. We also missed a bunch of lay ups that you need to make, obviously. Defensively, I thought we did a lot of good things. We talked about it, getting on the floor really early. We've been letting our opponents really deflate our defense. We were picking it up at 23, 24 feet as opposed to getting in the backcourt, and making teams work against us and bringing it up. Overall, Gary Johnson played a terrific first half. Cory [Joseph] continues to get better. Both of those guys really worked defensively. Matt Hill does a lot of things that we certainly like.
On the players finding a niche: I think what we've got at this point, over the last couple of games, Cory [Joseph] has continued to get better. I hope he can continue to grow. Tristan [Thompson] has done some good things. I'd like him to play harder when he gets the ball. He's got to sit down and get up. There's a lot of traffic there. He starts out the game making a soft pass out of there, we knew there was a double in there. When you really think about it, Gary [Johnson], Matt [Hill], and Jai [Lucas] have been pretty solid for us all year longs, doing things in terms of execution. That's why they got to play tonight. I thought they had earned it. I play the guys that do the right things.
Senior forward Gary Johnson
On the different things that they are doing as a team: I think we have a long way to go as far as preparing for the next couple of games. They are going to be very tough on us. But as far as I go, Coach Barnes has me playing two different positions. I'm on the perimeter a little bit now and also on the post, just to give our team a different look and get guys open and stuff like that.
On being more aggressive and comfortable: I guess it is just that once I find that niche, it's just getting comfortable, get Cory [Joseph] and Dogus [Balbay], stuff like that. I think we still have a long way to go as far as chemistry goes, but it's starting to come together with us now.
Freshman guard Cory Joseph
On the difference in the team in the last couple games: We know we had to focus in on these last couple games. USC was very tough for us and it was just a chance for us to mature as a team. We had a team meeting after that and just knew we had to play harder.
On the transition into college: Having Gary [Johnson] and Dogus [Balbay] and the seniors here at Texas, they have eased the transition for me because they are always telling me what Coach Barnes is looking for. They are always telling me what he's like, and that has definitely eased the transition for me. It's always tough coming from high school to college. It's just that next level in the games, the speed is faster and you have to think much quicker.
NORTH FLORIDA QUOTES
Head coach Matthew Driscoll
Opening Statement: First of all, and Coach Barnes will comment on it I'm sure, I'm coaching with a very heavy heart. My best friend (Scott Lang), best man at my wedding and my son's godfather, who is a college coach at the school I used to be a coach at, collapsed on the floor Friday night when we were at Purdue and died. Tonight was his memorial service at the school and they'll bury him on Saturday. We used to work coaches camp back at Clemson and I've known him for a long, long time.
On tonight's game: If you look at our schedule, Texas plays a lot of ranked opponents and we haven't played anyone. The physicality that Rick [Barnes] possesses with his guys and the way he has his guys play like that has been very impressive, both when I was an assistant at Baylor for six years playing him and now being the head coach at the University of North Florida. That is something Rick has always done well and obviously Rick's team adheres to that. As far as mixing up the defenses, we didn't do it all that much. Sometimes it looked like we did because guys were in the wrong place. If you had told me we would have held them to 35 percent shooting, held them scoreless for six minutes, I would have told you this was a heck of a dogfight. Obviously the turnovers hurt us tremendously and Texas can really guard.
On Gary Johnson's play for Texas: The one thing about Gary is that he has improved his jump shot since he was a young guy. The problem with that is that sometimes as he moves along in this league, he might fall in love with it too much and get away from what he is really good at which is rebounding the ball. But I think the one thing Gary has really improved on is his shooting. Tonight, he even stepped out and took a couple threes. Someone in the stands shouted, "Know your game," and it is a good point. Don't let what you can't do get in the way of what you can. I really think Gary has improved his mid-range game, but his bread and butter is offensive rebounding and playing aggressive.
