The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
1-0
Northwestern State
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern State | 27 | 32 | 59 |
| Texas | 62 | 43 | 105 |
Men's Basketball opens season with win over Demons, 105-59
11.10.2017 | Men's Basketball
Bamba records 15 points in debut, while Osetkowski adds a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
AUSTIN, Texas – Junior forward Dylan Osetkowski posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards to lead The University of Texas Men's Basketball team to a 105-59 win over Northwestern State in the season opener at the Frank Erwin Center on Friday night.
Six Texas players joined Osetkowski in double figures, including three freshmen. Freshman Mohamed Bamba notched a team-high 15 points and collected eight boards and four blocked shots. Matt Coleman registered 11 points and dished out seven assists without a turnover, while Jase Febres added 13 points. Junior Kerwin Roach III (10) and sophomores Andrew Jones (14) and Jacob Young (10) also scored in double figures.
UT forced 19 Demon turnovers, resulting in 28 points, and led from start to finish. Texas also registered a 23-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Texas opened the game on a 14-2 run behind eight points from Jones, including two threes and a dunk. After a pair of free throws and a dunk by Bamba, the Longhorns sprinted out to a 19-point lead (30-11), forcing NSU to call a timeout with 10:51 remaining in the half.
With 2:19 left in the half, sophomore James Banks finished from close and UT registered its largest lead of the half at 35 points (60-25). Osetkowski would connect at the charity stripe with 53 seconds in the half to send the Longhorns to the locker room with a 62-27 lead.
The UT defense forced 11 turnovers in the first half and the offense shot 20-of-39 (51.3 percent) from the field. Texas also outrebounded the Demons by a 25-13 margin in the opening half.
The Longhorns continued to outmatch Northwestern State in the second half. Texas extended the lead to as much as 43 (99-56) with 3:27 remaining after a 3-pointer from sophomore Jacob Young.
Freshman Jericho Sims finished a two-handed dunk with 16 seconds remaining to complete the scoring.
The Longhorns shot 49.3 percent (37-of-75) from the field in the game and outscored Northwestern State 52-22 in the paint. Freshman guard Czar Perry led the Demons with 15 points.
This was the ninth time UT has scored over 100 points in a season opener.
The Longhorns return to action against New Hampshire as part of the PK80 presented by State Farm on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Tip is set for 7 p.m. Central at the Erwin Center, and the game will be televised nationally on Longhorn Network.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas 105, Northwestern State 59
November 10, 2017
Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)
Attendance: 9,516
Team Notes
- UT improved to 102-9 all-time when scoring over 100 points. The Longhorns improved to 67-1 in home games when topping the century mark.
- The 105 points marked the ninth time that UT has reached the century mark in scoring in a season opener and first time since the 2006-07 season opener against Alcorn State (103-44 win).
- Texas improved to 92-20 all-time in season-opening games. UT has won 15 of its last 16 season-opening contests.
- The Longhorns improved to 97-15 all-time in home-opening games. UT improved to 36-5 in home openers since the Frank Erwin Center opened prior to the 1977-78 season. Texas has won 16 straight home openers dating back to the 2001-02 opener.
- UT improved to 488-119 all-time in home games at the Frank Erwin Center. The Horns improved to 216-36 at the Erwin Center in the last 16 seasons (since start of the 2002-03 season). Texas improved to 25-10 at home in the Shaka Smart era.
- Texas held a 62-27 lead at the half. The Longhorns hit 20-39 (.513) field goals and 17-19 (.895) free throws in the opening 20 minutes.
- Texas posted a 28-0 advantage in points off turnovers and a 52-22 advantage in points in the paint.
- The Longhorns registered 23 assists against just 5 turnovers.
- Seven UT players reached double figures in scoring.
Mohamed Bamba
- Reached double figures in scoring (15 points) in just 23 minutes during his Texas debut
- Recorded 4 blocks, just one shy of the UT freshman debut record (5 by James Banks in 2016-17)
- Became the 36th true freshman player in UT history to start a season opener (since 1972-73)
Matt Coleman
- Reached double figures in scoring (11 points) in his Texas debut
- Also recorded 7 assists without a turnover in 22 minutes
- Became the 37th true freshman player in UT history to start a season opener (since 1972-73)
Jase Febres
- Reached double figures in scoring (13 points) in 20 minutes during his Texas debut
Andrew Jones
- Reached double figures in scoring (14 points) for the 23rd time in his career (34 games).
Dylan Osetkowski
- Recorded a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in 21 minutes during his Texas debut.
Kerwin Roach II
- Reached double figures in scoring (10 points) for the 27th time in his career (66 games).
Jacob Young
- Reached double figures in scoring (10 points) for the fourth time in his career (34 games).
Postgame Quotes
Texas Head Coach Shaka Smart
On earning a 46-point win: It's nice but the bigger thing is being happy that we took a step as a team. It was our first game and some of the things we emphasized our guys did a nice job doing. Still have a long way to go, a lot of things to improve on, but our guys shared the ball, for the most part, really well. We got 23 assists, it's a good thing. I thought Mo (Mohamed Bamba) and Dylan (Osetkowski) just gave us a great spark with the way that they played, rebounded. And then to get our guards attacking downhill was really good. Defensively, we need to be better, but I have to give Northwestern State some credit. They made some tough shots, actually, particularly in the second half.
On the performance of the younger guys: Jericho (Sims) had some jitters for sure. That's not surprising. He's really got a bright future, but he's got to gain comfort level. You saw that free throw rebound where he had a hard time grabbing it. He's going to be really good, it's just going to take time. We have to make sure we're patient with him. I was impressed with Jase (Febres). He's done a nice job. He has a poise about him. The key is getting him to be aggressive, and I thought he was tonight. That was good. I thought Royce (Hamm Jr.) had good energy. He's a guy that needs to be an energy guy for us, and I thought he gave that.
On how beneficial Dylan Osetkowski was to team during the game: He's our best engine, our best facilitator of offense. And he also can score some, so you have to play him honest. But that's really beneficial. Last year, everyone talked about we didn't have a point guard, which that spot wasn't a strength for us, but we also didn't have a ball-handling forward, which is something that we really like to have the way we play. So that's a step in the right direction at both of those positions.
Texas Sophomore Guard Andrew Jones
On overall mood of game: It felt great out there today. It was a great team effort. We all played very unselfishly, played for each other and made the right look today. It's a great feeling. We hope to always play like this. There's only more to come.
On the offense: We have a lot of great guys. There's a lot more spacing throughout the floor. We've had a lot of great additions, like our freshmen. Our upperclassmen have gotten better as well. We're not as frantic and we all better understand the game.
On the defense: The new group that we have is able to execute pressure and rotate guys in. We're long, fast and athletic and the more we can pressure people, then the more we'll be able to get them to turn the ball over.
Texas Junior Forward Dylan Osetkowski
On being compared to Draymond Green: Being a guy that can do everything, I'm just trying to replicate Draymond's tenacity and enthusiasm that he plays with. If I can do that on a consistent basis, it's going to be huge for our team.
On overall mood of game: This game was everything I could have dreamt of and more. It was so much fun to get back out there and experience winning like that.
Texas Freshman Forward Mohamed Bamba
On overall mood of game: It felt great out there tonight. There were a couple things that I wasn't really expecting, but that's a part of being a freshman and getting out there for the first time. I wasn't expecting some of the new things the other team did tonight that we didn't cover in practice. Other than that, it was a great show from everyone.
On dominating impressive start to season: We have a lot to prove. Last year wasn't the greatest year for us, so we have to come out here each time with something new to prove.
On overall bond of teammates: Like I said after the Orange and White Game, we all genuinely love and care for each other. You can see that when we go out there and execute our love through the way that we play for each other.
On nerves and anxiousness before game: Us freshmen were able to get over the nerves pretty early on to put on a show for the fans. We came together as a team. The older guys have put their arms around me and really support me to just get out there and play. That really helped with my nerves.
Northwestern State Head Coach Mike McConathy
Opening Statement: Texas looked very strong coming out. They were very good shooting the ball, especially in the first half. They're long, lean and athletic. I'm disappointed in my kids because I honestly didn't think we were going to come in here and be like a deer in the headlights. The epitome of our game is our post guy, and he missed a shot early after they made two or three. When you work real hard and you can't even get the rebound, then you know you have trouble. Their size is very impressive. Their length is even more impressive. We wish them the best.
On the team getting into foul trouble early in the game: When you're playing a team that's the caliber of Texas or any Big 12 team, you have to be able to manage your people. We have eight new players and they looked like they were eight new players. In a secret scrimmage we played a week ago, we played a team that had beaten a Big 12 team and we competed with them and I thought we looked really good. We had an exhibition with Grambling, and they're a much improved team, and we played really well and did some good things. It was the first night on stage for those five freshmen and those two JUCO guys and it just proved to be way too much for them to be able to even stay in the game from the get-go. Turnovers killed us. Not rebounding and getting put backs really hurt. I was really impressed with their [Texas'] ability to move the basketball. I've always been a believer that when the ball does not stick and moves side to side, then shooters are going to be able to knock down shots. Texas did a great job of making their shots in the rhythm and flow of what they were trying to do. That says a lot about them and what they'll end up being.
On Dylan Osetkowski's impact on the game: In the film that we watched we could see that he could shoot it but he seemed to be a glue guy. He could move the ball side to side and he could step in and nail it when he needed to, especially early on. He's just a big, strong guy that, cerebrally, has a really good game and a beautiful shot. I think that made a lot of difference. A lot of times in this game I think that us as coaches, you all as writers and people as fans don't appreciate the guy that's doing the little things that make everybody else better.
