The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma State
Men's Basketball triumphs over Oklahoma State, 58-49
01.07.2012 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2012
Final Stats |
| Box Score
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Myck Kabongo scored 15 points and Texas rallied to beat Oklahoma State 58-49 on Saturday night.
Jonathan Holmes added 11 points as the Longhorns (11-4, 1-1) avoided starting Big 12 play with back-to-back losses for the first time under coach Rick Barnes.
Brian Williams led the Cowboys (8-7, 1-1) with 16 points and Le'Bryan Nash added 12 before picking up his fifth foul with 2:04 left in the game.
J'Covan Brown, Texas' leading scorer, finished with six points in 25 minutes. The junior guard was a game-time decision due to a right-ankle injury he sustained in a loss at Iowa State on Jan. 4.
Brown was 2 of 4 from the floor, but his lone 3-pointer put Texas ahead 40-37 with 8:14 to play. The Longhorns outscored Oklahoma State 21-12 afterward.
The first half included a drought of over five minutes without a field goal, and the teams went into halftime tied 21-21 after shooting a combined 27 percent (15 of 56).
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM
- Texas now holds a 45-35 lead in its all-time series against Oklahoma State
- Texas now holds a 14-0 record in Big 12 Conference home openers in the Rick Barnes era.
- Texas has won 11 of its last 12 meetings against Oklahoma State
- Texas is 10-0 in home contests this season.
- Texas improves to 102-9 (.919) at the Erwin Center in the last seven seasons [dating back to the start of the 2005-06 season] and 192-24 (.889) at the Erwin Center under Rick Barnes.
- Texas has held its last 11 opponents to an average of 58.4 points per game; its last nine opponents have shot 36.0% from the field (217-of-602)
- Texas trailed 37-35 with 10:13 remaining in the game before going on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead.
INDIVIDUAL
Jaylen Bond
- Set a career high in steals (three)
Jonathan Holmes
- Reached double figures in scoring (11 points) for the seventh time this season
- Tied his career high in steals (two)
Myck Kabongo
- Reached double figures in scoring (15 points) for the eighth time this season
Julien Lewis
- Set a career high in rebounds (six)
TEXAS COACH QUOTES
HEAD COACH Rick Barnes
On the difference between the first and second halves: Defensively, I think we worked hard as a group. I thought all year long, of all the games up to this point, it was the most consistent that we [have been] on the defensive end. Early, we missed some shots and we probably got a little overly aggressive trying to drive the ball too deep. I think it's a great lesson for our guys in that you have nights like this where you just can't make a shot. It's a conference game. It's going to be a grind. Oklahoma State is a team that plays hard. Defensively, I thought we had a good effort by most everyone. We were trying to do what we talked about after the Iowa State game.
On the decision to play J'Covan Brown in the second half: I actually wasn't going to play him. He told me that he'd like to go in and try. I left it up to him and he came in. Of course, he hit a big three. But, with him being out there, he spaces the floor even more because people aren't going to want to leave him open. He's experienced enough to know how to work through some things. But, I thought Myck Kabongo was terrific. I think he played the best game he's played since he's been at Texas. I wish he hadn't had that last turnover where he just shot-faked. He should have probably shot it. I said after the Iowa State game that there were some silver linings that came out of it. We talked about running, and I think consistently, we did that better tonight than we have in a long time. We're going to get back to really guarding people. We're going to rebound and we're going to take care of the ball.
On Jaylen Bond's play tonight and the team's defensive effort: I thought he set a good tone early. He did get in foul trouble. Some of that was from being aggressive on the glass. That's another nice thing we did tonight. I thought we played really hard defensively. We didn't have unnecessary fouls. We didn't bail people out by making unnecessary fouls. We've done that too much this year. In the first half, obviously, you want to shoot better than we did. Overall, it's a grind. It's a conference game. I expected it to be a grind.
TEXAS PLAYER QUOTES
JUNIOR GUARD J'Covan Brown
On his key second-half three-pointer: In the transition, I knew I was going to get that open look. I told Myck (Kabongo) to look for me, and he found me. I knew when I got it up that I had a good look, and it went in. So, some credit goes to him for finding me.
On his ankle injury: I was close [to not playing]. When I woke up this morning, I told them I would give it a try in our shoot around. I started moving, and it was alright this morning until I started running more. It got sore as the game went on. I told coach in the second half to start Julien (Lewis), because I did not really hit my shots and my teammates need to know I have faith in them. As you can see, it worked out well. Then they called on me with about 10 minutes left, and I was ready to go. Coach (Barnes) asked if I could go, and I said I could. I came in and tried to get an open spot, and that's where Myck (Kabongo) found me for that big three.
FRESHMAN GUARD Myck Kabongo
On attacking the basket: We were in the bonus in each half, so it was really key for us to go in there aggressively and attack. I think our big guys did a great job because they were on the offensive glass and drew fouls.
On J'Covan Brown's second-half three pointer: He called for the ball. I heard him. I was really in trouble and he came in to save me. He hit a big-time shot and it changed the momentum of the game.
On the adjustments made in the second half: We focused on running the floor and being a fast team. Our big guys could run the floor and block out their big guys. We just need to execute. Tonight, we missed shots that we usually make, and that is going to happen sometimes. We just need to continue to do what Coach (Barnes) wants and continue to execute.
OKLAHOMA STATE QUOTES
HEAD COACH TRAVIS FORD
Opening statement: Congratulations to Texas. We cannot turn the ball over 21 times and expect to win. Our team was also in foul trouble all night long. That is what happened.
On whether the Texas defense was responsible for the 21 OSU turnovers: They put some pretty aggressive defense on us, but at the same time we had a tough time getting in a flow. Every time we turned around, they were calling a foul on us. We have to go back and watch the film, but I know we were in very serious foul trouble and turned the ball over 21 times.
On the fouls contributing to the overall tempo of the game: The number of fouls did contribute to the overall game. There are some things that happened in the game. We thought we made good plays, but we committed fouls and numerous turnovers. You cannot turn the ball over 21 times, regardless of what the other team shoots. Our team played hard. They battled through a lot of adversity like men, like champions. I was proud of them. We were fighting every step of the way. There was a stretch where it was tough to get in front of them, where we thought something good was happening, but then a foul came. It hurt the momentum, but we have to learn from it.
