The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
7-11 (1-5)
Baylor
17-1 (5-1) #6/6
Men's Basketball falls at No. 6/6 Baylor, 74-64
01.17.2017 | Men's Basketball
Freshman forward Allen registers sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
WACO, Texas – Freshman forward Jarrett Allen recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but No. 6/6 Baylor defeated the Longhorns, 74-64, on Tuesday night at the Ferrell Center.
Freshman guard Andrew Jones recorded 15 points and four rebounds for Texas (7-11, 1-5 Big 12). Senior forward Shaquille Cleare matched his career high with 14 points and added six rebounds for the Longhorns.
Junior forward Johnathan Motley poured in 32 points and collected 20 rebounds for Baylor (17-1, 5-1). Junior forward Nuni Omot recorded 14 points and five rebounds.
In the first half, Cleare and Allen combined for 10 points to give the Longhorns a 12-4 lead at the 13:45 mark, but Baylor narrowed the gap to three (12-9) with a Terry Maston jumper at 12:49. The Bears trailed by four or less until 5:17, when a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Kerwin Roach Jr. gave the Longhorns a 27-22 advantage.
Baylor responded with a dunk from Omot and a 3-pointer from Jake Lindsey, tying the score 27-27 with 4:26 remaining in the half. Lindsey drained another three after Texas turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, giving Baylor the lead (30-27) for the first time in the contest. The Bears would go on to compile a 13-2 run to build a 35-29 advantage with 1:37 left.
A Jones dunk in transition trimmed the lead to four (35-31) just before the final minute, but Omot tacked on a traditional three-point play to put Baylor ahead 38-31 at the half.
Baylor jumped out to a 10-point lead in the second half after a pair of Motley free throws with 17:45 to play. A Cleare jumper pulled the Longhorns within eight (48-40) at the 13:59 mark, but the Bears regained their double-digit cushion with a Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. dunk, making the score 50-40 with 13:18 remaining. The Longhorns trailed by as much as 21 points (68-47) with 5:51 left, but an 11-2 Texas run down the stretch trimmed the final margin to 10.
The Longhorns continue their road stretch on Saturday, Jan. 21, when they face No. 2/1 Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Tip is set for 1 p.m. Central at Allen Fieldhouse, and the game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
#6/6 Baylor 74, Texas 64
January 17, 2017
Waco, Texas (Ferrell Center)
Attendance: 7,604
Team Notes
- This marked UT's second consecutive contest against an AP Top 10 opponent (lost 74-72 to #10 West Virginia on Jan. 14).
- Texas dropped to 162-87 all-time against Baylor in the all-time series between the two schools. UT fell to 68-50 against the Bears in games played in Waco.
- The Longhorns converted 18-of-22 (.818) free throws, while Baylor hit 12-of-18 (.667) from the line.
- Recorded a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) for the sixth time this season (18 games) and second time in Big 12 play (6 games).
- Reached double figures in scoring for the fourth straight game and 12th time this season.
- Has reached double figures in scoring in five of the first six Big 12 contests.
- Reached double figures in rebounds for the seventh time this season.
- Tied a career high with 3 blocked shots (3 at Iowa State on Jan. 7, 2017).
- Reached double figures in scoring (14 points) for the sixth time this season (18 games) and eighth time in his UT career (51 games).
- Tied his UT career high in points (14 vs. Baylor on Feb. 20, 2016).
- Tied his career high in FG made (6-10) for the second straight contest.
- Reached double figures in scoring (15 points) for the ninth time this season (18 games).
- His 5 assists were one shy of his career high (6 vs. Oklahoma State on Jan. 4, 2017).
- Saw his first game action (10 minutes) since Dec. 30 at K-State (missed last four games due to a left ankle injury).
TEXAS POSTGAME QUOTES
Texas Head Coach Shaka Smart
On being afraid of foul trouble…
"By that point in the game, we did not do a good job fighting off the offensive rebounders. I thought our guys started the game and with the tally they had they were connected. The way they tried to guard was very, very good. I have to watch the tape, but there was a point about six to eight minutes left where you could just feel our defensive energy was not as good. You know the timeouts were something we made the guys very aware of, but we didn't do a good job getting back to the level of energy and fight we had to start the game. I think some of that had to do with some plays on offense not going our way, but you go on the road and try to beat the No. 6 team in the country and you're leading for the majority of the first half, you can't worry about that stuff."
On Johnathan Motley's performance…
"Motley's really good. The thing that he keeps getting better with is his motor. That's how he got a lot of those rebounds. He just stayed with them, kept fighting, went after them. Anytime you get 30 and 20, I don't care where it is or who you are, you just don't see that very often."
On Nuni Omot's performance…
"He was very good. I thought, again when the game shifted about three quarters of the way through the first half there was an energy shift. That's what led to Baylor's run. I think he was a big part of that for them throughout the game. He was a guy we talked about. He was on the scouting report. He's just had some really good moments for them, but tonight he really played well."
On Baylor's run tying in to the lack of UT 3-point shots…
"It's certainly not an excuse. In the first half, we're up two, up four, tied, we're down a few. It's anybody's game, keep playing. I think that requires a level of connectivity as a team and the ability to move on from the last play, that I thought our guys started the game with, but we obviously did not sustain throughout the game."
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