The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Men's Basketball defeats Iowa State 68-64 to advance at Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
03.07.2018 | Men's Basketball
Jericho Sims pulled down 15 rebounds to tie the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship freshman single-game record.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Freshman Jericho Sims pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds to lead Texas Men's Basketball past Iowa State 68-64 in a Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship first-round game on Wednesday night at Sprint Center. Sims tied the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship freshman single-game record for rebounds, matching Colorado's Andre Roberson on March 9, 2011.
Sims also added eight points, two steals, and one block in 35 minutes. Junior forward Dylan Osetkowski posted a team-high 20 points and added five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Junior guard Kerwin Roach II contributed nine points, a team-high seven assists and six rebounds, while freshman guard Jase Febres poured in 12 points. Sophomore guard Jacob Young added nine points, four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes.
Texas finished 25-of-62 (40%) from the field and the Longhorn defense forced 17 Iowa State turnovers.
Texas led 6-5 at the under-16 timeout after holding Iowa State to a 2:46 scoring drought early in the first half. The Longhorns could not connect on six straight field goals as Iowa State opened up a three-point advantage (9-6) with 12:57 remaining. Roach II knocked down a 3-pointer at the 11:01 mark to trim the deficit to 14-12.
Texas trailed 28-18 with 6:11 to play in the first half after a 14-6 run from the Cyclones. The Longhorns responded a 16-3 spurt, fueled by 12 points from Osetkowski, to regain the lead (34-31) with 13 seconds remaining. Iowa State missed a shot at the buzzer, and Texas headed to the break with a 34-31 lead.
Osetkowski led the Longhorns with 13 points in the opening half. Sims brought down 10 boards in the first half, while Roach II contributed three points, four rebounds and five assists. Texas held a 9-2 advantage in offensive rebounds, and the Longhorn defense forced 11 Iowa State turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
Texas opened the second half with six straight points to build a 40-31 advantage. The Cyclones answered with a 7-0 run to cut the UT lead to two (40-38) with 16:04 to play. The Longhorns went without a field goal for a 6:19 stretch, as Iowa State took a 45-44 lead at the 11:45 mark.
Febres knocked down a 3-pointer with 9:49 remaining to give UT a 50-48 lead. The Longhorns connected on 4-of-5 field goals as Texas led 66-64 with one minute to play. UT stretched the lead to four (68-64) after freshman point guard Coleman hit a jumper and forced a Cyclone turnover with 29 seconds remaining. Iowa State missed on two 3-pointers in the final 13 seconds to close out the contest.
Texas moves on to face No. 2 seed Texas Tech in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship quarterfinals on Thursday, March 8. Tip is set for 6 p.m. Central at Sprint Center, and the contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas 68, Iowa State 64
March 7, 2018
Sprint Center (Kansas City, Missouri)
Attendance: 17,752
Team Notes
- The Longhorns advance to play No. 2 seed Texas Tech at 6 pm Central on Thursday, March 8 (ESPN2).
- Texas improved to 7-1 in Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship first-round games with the victory. UT has won six consecutive first-round contests in the league's postseason tourney.
- The Longhorns improved to 47-40 all-time in league tournament games, including a 26-21 mark in its 22 appearances to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
- Texas improved to 22-16 all-time against Iowa State in the series between the two schools. The Longhorns swept the three-game series this season. This marked the first time in school history that Texas has won three games in a season against the Cyclones.
- The Longhorns posted a 37-32 rebound margin, including a 14-7 edge on the offensive glass.
- Texas registered a 14-7 advantage in second-chance points.
- The Longhorns posted a team season high in steals (12) – previous: 11 vs. Northwestern State (Nov. 10, season opener).
- UT used a seven-man rotation for the third consecutive game.
- Trailing by 10 points (28-18) with 6:11 left in the first half, the Longhorns closed the half on a 16-3 run to grab a 34-31 lead at the break.
- Did not play (sprained left toe) for the third consecutive game
- Had 3 steals, just one shy of his career high (4, twice)
- Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the fourth time this season (29 games) and first since he had 12 points vs. Ole Miss (Jan. 27) – span of 11 games
- Topped the 20-point mark (20 points) for the fifth time this season (32 games) and first since he had 21 points at Oklahoma (Feb. 17)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the 25th time this season
- Had 3 steals, just one shy of his career high (4 vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 26)
- Had 7 assists, just one shy of his career high (8, three times)
- Marked the third straight game he has posted at least 7 assists (8 at Kansas, 8 vs. West Virginia)
- Set a career high in rebounds (15) – previous: 9 at Oklahoma State (Jan. 13)
- The 15 rebounds tied a Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship freshman game record (Andre Roberson of Colorado had 15 boards vs. Iowa State on March 9, 2011)
- Set a career high in rebounds in the first half alone (10)
- Seven of his 15 rebounds came on the offensive glass
- Reached double figures in rebounds for the first time in his career (32 games)
- Tied his career high in steals (2)
- Posted a season high and tied his career high in assists (3) – set twice previously
- His 4 rebounds were one shy of his career high (5, twice)
