The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
19-10, 10-6
Oklahoma
22-6, 10-6
No. 25/25 Men’s Basketball storms back to defeat No. 3/4 Oklahoma, 76-63
02.27.2016 | Men's Basketball
Longhorns use a late 22-0 run to win their school-record fourth game this season against an AP Top 10 opponent.
AUSTIN, Texas – Down 58-51 with 7:29 remaining, the No. 25/25 Longhorns strung together a 22-0 run over the next 6:52 to defeat No. 3/4 Oklahoma, 76-63, on Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 16,540 at the Frank Erwin Center. Junior guard Isaiah Taylor led Texas with 18 points and five assists without a turnover, and senior guard Javan Felix and senior forward Connor Lammert each finished with 14 points.
The Longhorns (19-10, 10-6 Big 12) improved to 4-2 against Associated Press (AP) Top 10 opponents this season, setting a single-season record for most AP Top 10 wins in program history. UT also improved to 4-0 at home against AP Top 20 opponents this year, including a 3-0 mark against AP Top 10 opponents in Austin.
Freshmen guards Eric Davis Jr. (12 points) and Kerwin Roach Jr. (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Longhorns. The Longhorns outscored the Sooners by a 34-16 margin in points in the paint and posted a 26-4 advantage in bench scoring.
Buddy Hield led Oklahoma (22-6, 10-6 Big 12) with 33 points, the most scored against Texas this season, on 12-of-24 shooting from the field, including 6-of-13 from behind the arc.
After Lammert scored the game's first five points, the Longhorns went scoreless over a 3:58 stretch and Oklahoma took an 8-5 lead at the 15:20 mark. Texas shot 50-percent (14-of-28) from the field in the first half and tied the score at 33 with a three from Davis with 2:38 remaining. Hield scored 23 points in the first half to pace Oklahoma to a 40-37 lead at halftime.
Oklahoma built a 47-40 lead following seven-straight points from Jordan Woodard, but a pair of Taylor free throws and a layup from Felix cut the gap to 47-44 at the 16:30 mark. Hield hit another three to extend Oklahoma's lead to 52-45 with 13:10 remaining.
Hield topped the 30-point plateau following a jumper to extend the Sooners' advantage to 58-51 at the 7:29 mark. From that point, the Longhorns finished the game on a 25-5 run.
A Taylor three-point play and a Lammert three-pointer trimmed the lead to 58-57 with 7:08 remaining. Taylor then hit a pair of free throws to help Texas grab a 59-58 lead with 4:28 remaining, UT's first advantage since the 17:40 mark of the first half.
The Longhorns continued their run when senior center Prince Ibeh converted a tip-in and Felix made a layup to increase their cushion to 63-58 at the 3:25 mark, forcing Oklahoma to take a timeout. Texas built the lead to as much as 73-58 on a Roach dunk with 50 seconds left, before Hield hit his final three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining.
The Longhorns outrebounded the Sooners, 43-31 and limited the Sooners to 29 percent shooting from the field (9-of-31) in the second half.
Texas will play its final home game of the season on Monday, Feb. 29 against No. 2/2 Kansas. Tip is set for 8 p.m. Central at the Erwin Center and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
#25/25 Texas 76, #3/4 Oklahoma 63
February 27, 2016
Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)
Attendance: 16,540 (sellout)
Team Notes
Texas improved to 4-0 this year at home against AP Top 20 opponents, including a 3-0 mark against AP Top 10 opponents at home. This includes wins against No. 3 North Carolina, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 10 West Virginia and No. 17 Iowa State.
UT set a school single-season record with its fourth win against an AP Top 10 opponent. The Horns improved to 4-2 against AP Top 10 teams this year with wins against No. 3 North Carolina (84-82 on Dec. 12) at home, at No. 6 West Virginia (56-49 on Jan. 20), No. 10 West Virginia (85-78 on Feb. 16) at home and No. 3 Oklahoma (76-63 on Feb. 27) at home. The 2002-03 Final Four team and 2007-08 Elite Eight teams each posted 3 wins against AP Top 10 opponents.
Texas improved to 6-3 against AP Top 20 opponents and 6-5 against AP Top 25 opponents this season.
Today's game marked the second straight sellout and third of the home season. UT also had home sellouts against No. 3/3 North Carolina (Dec. 12) and No. 25/22 Baylor (Feb. 20).
UT posted a 43-31 advantage on the boards.
The Longhorns converted 20-of-27 (.741) free throws, while Oklahoma hit 7-of-9 (.778) free throws.
Texas limited the Sooners to 23 points on 9-of-31 (.290) FG shooting in the second half.
The Longhorns recorded a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint and 26-4 in bench scoring.
Reached double figures in scoring (10 points) for the fourth consecutive contest, the seventh time in Big 12 play and 13th time this year (29 games)
Reached double figures in scoring (14 points) for the 18th time this year and 61st time in his career (128 games)
Reached double figures in rebounds (game-high 10 boards) for the fifth time this year and sixth time in his career (131 games)
Reached double figures in scoring (14 points) for the fifth time this year (first since at Baylor on Feb. 1) and 17th time in his career (132 games)
He converted 4-of-7 three-pointers, just one shy of his career high (5 at Kansas on Jan. 23, 2016)
Kerwin Roach Jr.
Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the seventh time this year (29 games) and first since vs. Texas Tech on Feb. 6
Reached double figures in scoring (team-high 18 points) for the 23rd time this season and 67th time in his career (88 games)
Had 5 assists without a turnover, marking the 17th time this year (in 29 games) that he has recorded at least 5 assists.
Postgame Quotes
TEXAS
Head Coach Shaka Smart
On the win against OU: They are a really good team and they have had our number if you go back the last several games. Our guys did a good job of hanging in there and maintaining composure, even when we were down. Things didn't go our way, but we had a good response.
On the 22-0 run: They missed some shots. You have to have some good fortune. I think energy and focus--those things together--give you a chance to do something like that. We decided about midway through the second half that we were going to put two guys on Buddy Hield whenever he got the ball. Our guys did a really good job of playing with aggressiveness, scrambling out of those traps and snatching up rebounds.
On closing out the season: This time of year everyone is a little bit tired, everyone is a little bit run down and there is a lot that is asked of these guys. Our guys dug deep and found the energy and togetherness to get those stops. There was a stretch there when neither team was scoring, but our guys played good defense, didn't get bummed out and that was big for us.
On home court energy: Our crowd gave us a huge lift. We are really appreciative of our crowd and our students. I went out there earlier today when the students were out there. [Oklahoma is] a very good team, a dangerous team, and I think our guys did a good job feeding off the energy of the crowd. It's huge when you have that kind of energy behind you and you can feel the momentum building.
On the week of rest leading to the OU game: I thought our guys were really connected for the whole game. But really, it has been the last three days. We were off on Tuesday and the guys did a good job of having a high level of focus during practice. I told them we had to get better at what we were going to do on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Most importantly, on Saturday we have to carry it over. It wasn't perfect. In the first half Buddy had a lot, but down the stretch our guys really played well.
Texas Players
Senior Guard Javan Felix
On if their goal was to hang around before going on a run: It wasn't the goal to hang around. The goal was to get stops and to play as hard as we can and be aggressive. That is what we continue to do despite his [Buddy Hield] shots and despite his makes. We just wanted to continue to be aggressive and keep playing.
On how big the win is: It is big for us, but we feel like we are a good team and we are capable of games like this every time we step out on the floor. We are excited, but it is a quick turnaround.
On if this the best the Frank Erwin Center has felt all season: I would say so. It has been unbelievable when our fans come out and pack the house like they did today. It definitely helps us. It makes it hard for the opposing team. We are just looking forward to Monday. It is our last game.
Senior Forward Connor Lammert
On the high effort during the last six/seven minutes of the game: I think a few plays went our way. I think at the beginning of practice and when the season started, we had six-minute games. We have three things we focus on: making our free throws, playing defense, and taking care of the ball. I think we did that pretty well. The freshmen stepped up and made some big free throws for us and took care of the ball on the press. We got some layups that put us in a really good position. There really wasn't one play that sparked us. I think we came together and locked in and put our entire focus on getting stops.
On what has it been like to be a part of this program: It is fun. I think we have been getting better each game. We have had some games where we didn't play great for whatever reason, but I think we have been getting better progressively since the beginning of the season. We bounce back. I can speak for the seniors and myself--it has been fun to be a part of it this year. I am really excited where this program is moving in the future.
Junior Guard Isaiah Taylor
On sensing a change after taking the lead: It was a momentum swing. I think that gave our team energy. It gave me energy personally to just lock down. I think we did a great job of that down the stretch.
On the atmosphere at the Frank Erwin Center: Yes, you always coming out hoping you play in front of a packed house. And for this to be our second-to-last game, everybody came out to support us and we are just grateful.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Head Coach Lon Kruger
Opening Statement: For the most part I thought it was just a tricky basketball game. Both teams played well, but we didn't handle the late game situation very well. Texas played great and did what they had to in order to take the game late and finish it out. It was a tough game on the road, especially in Big 12 play, so congrats to Texas for getting the win.
On the late game: It was kind of a blur really. We turned it over a couple times and they converted it the other way. We missed a shot or two and didn't have too many good possessions, and they scored in transition. We didn't have a lot of good things going there at the end. It gets the crowd involved and gets it going pretty downhill for them.
On Buddy Hield: Buddy has been at the core of everything we've done all year. Other guys have stepped up at different times, but we didn't have enough of that today. Buddy has been unbelievably consistent and at the core of everything. He gave a great effort today.
On Shaka Smart: He's done a fantastic job. Obviously, they're fully committed to what they're doing, and the players are playing with great energy. There is a lot of confidence.
Oklahoma Senior Guard Buddy Hield
On the team performance today: We just didn't really execute. We needed to be more poised. We missed shots and we weren't really poised.
On Texas' play: The crowd was really involved. They played together as a group and we didn't get stops when we needed to and they got stops when they needed to. It's a game we have to learn from and we've got two games left, so we just have to make the best of them and head into postseason.
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