The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 20/22 Men's Basketball wins 82-81 at West Virginia
02.26.2022 | Men's Basketball
Allen posts 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Febres adds a season-high 14 points to lead the Longhorns.
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Senior Timmy Allen had a season-high 26 points and 10 rebounds while senior Jase Febres added a season-best 14 points to pace No. 20/22 Texas (21-8, 10-6 Big 12) to an 82-81 victory against West Virginia (14-15, 3-13 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum. For the second straight contest, the Longhorns trailed by double digits midway through the second half before rallying for the win.
Allen converted 7-of-9 field goals and a season-best 12-of-16 free throws while adding three assists, two blocks and one steal in 36 minutes. He had 17 points (4-4 FG, 9-12 FT), seven boards and all three of his assists in the second half while playing all 20 minutes.
Febres made 5-of-6 field goals, including a season-best 4-of-5 from three-point range, in 21 minutes while reaching double figures in scoring for the first time since Nov. 13 at No. 1/1 Gonzaga. Senior Marcus Carr registered 15 points while hitting 6-of-6 field goals (1-of-1 three) and 2-of-3 free throws in 17 minutes. Carr, who played just three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, had 11 of his 15 points in the second half.
The Mountaineers jumped out to a 9-4 advantage following a Taz Sherman layup at the 16:33 mark. Texas responded with an 11-1 spurt over the next three-and-a-half minutes to grab a 15-10 cushion after a Devin Askew transition layup with 12:53 remaining. Leading 20-15 following a Pauly Paulicap layup at the 11:31 mark, Febres hit a three-pointer and Andrew Jones added a free throw to increase its advantage to 24-15 with 10:31 left.
A Sean McNeil three-pointer pulled West Virginia to within 26-22 at the 9:54 mark. The Longhorns again pushed the margin to nine points (35-26) following a Jones three-pointer with 4:55 remaining. The Mountaineers trimmed the deficit to 43-37 at the break. Texas converted 65.2-percent from the floor (15-23), including a 5-of-7 mark (.714) from three-point range, in the first half.
A pair of Allen free throws gave the Longhorns a 47-42 advantage with 18:12 left, but West Virginia used a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to grab a 54-47 cushion following a McNeil three-pointer at the 14:04 mark. A Christian Bishop dunk pulled Texas to within 59-54 at the 12:08 mark, before the Mountaineers scored five straight points and took a 64-54 advantage after a Sherman layup with 10:31 left.
Just as they did on Wednesday against TCU, the Longhorns rallied from a double-digit deficit. A Carr three-pointer and Allen transition layup cut the deficit to 64-59 at the 9:48 mark. A pair of Allen free throws trimmed the margin to 68-66 with 6:44 left, but Sherman answered with a three-pointer to push the advantage to 71-66 at the 6:15 mark.
Texas used a 6-0 run capped by a Febres three-pointer to take a 72-71 lead with 4:37 left. McNeil made 1-of-2 free throws to even the score at 72-72 at the 4:16 mark, but Allen converted a pair of free throws to give Texas the lead for good with 4:12 remaining. A Carr layup provided the Longhorns with an 82-78 cushion at the 1:10 mark, but a Malik Curry three-point play trimmed the margin to 82-81 with 11 seconds left.
After a Texas turnover on the inbounds pass, Curry missed a contested jumper from just outside the paint and Allen secured the rebound for the Longhorns. Allen missed both free throws, the second on purpose, and the Mountaineers were unable to get a final shot off.
Texas returns to action when it hosts No. 10/11 Baylor on Monday, Feb. 28. Tip is set for 8 p.m. Central at the Frank Erwin Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
#20/22 Texas 82, West Virginia 81
February 26, 2022
WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, W. Va.)
Attendance: 13,470
Team Notes
- The Longhorns improved to 15-10 in the all-time series against the Mountaineers.
- Texas swept the two-game regular-season series against WVU for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
- The Longhorns reached the 21-win mark in the regular season for the first time since the 2013-14 season (22 in 2013-14).
- Texas reached the 10-win mark in Big 12 play for just the third time since the 2014-15 season (11-6 in 2020-21 and 11-7 in 2015-16).
- UT improved to 4-4 in Big 12 Conference road games this season.
- For the second straight game, the Longhorns rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to record a league victory. Texas trailed TCU 48-38 with 13:20 remaining in Wednesday's home game before finishing the contest on a 37-18 run to earn the 75-66 victory. On Saturday in Morgantown, the Mountaineers held a 64-54 lead with 10:31 left. The Longhorns closed the game with a 28-17 run.
- Texas converted 63.4-percent from the floor (26-41), including an 8-of-16 mark (.500) from three-point range, on the afternoon. This marked UT's highest FG percentage effort in Big 12 play and second-highest on the year (64.0 against Houston Baptist on Nov. 9).
- The 82 points scored by the Longhorns marked a season high in Big 12 play.
- UT set a team season high in free throws attempted (30) and hit 22-of-30 (.733) from the stripe.
- The Longhorns registered a plus-11 rebound margin (28-17).
- Texas converted 65.2-percent from the floor (15-23), including a 5-of-7 mark (.714) from three-point range, in the first half while building a 43-37 halftime lead.
- The Longhorns connected on 61.1-percent from the field (11-18) and 14-of-19 free throws (.737) in the second half.
- Set a season high in scoring (26 points), previous: 24 vs. Kansas on Feb. 7
- His 26 points were one shy of his collegiate career high (27 vs. BYU on Dec. 4, 2019)
- Set a season high in free throws made (12-16)
- His 12 free throws were one shy of his collegiate career high (13 vs. Oregon State on Jan. 2, 2020)
- Recorded a double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds) for the third time this season (29 games) and 14th in his career (114 games)
- Topped the 20-point mark for the third time this year and 25th in his career
- Reached double figures in scoring for the 19th time this year and 90th in his career
- Tied his season high in blocks (two)
- Posted 17 points (4-4 FG, 9-12 FT), seven rebounds and three assists while playing all 20 minutes in the second half
- Reached double figures in scoring (15 points) for the 18th time this year (29 games) and 82nd in his career (121 games)
- Had 11 of his 15 points and converted 4-of-4 FG (1-of-1 three) in 13 minutes of action in the second half
- Set a season high in scoring (14 points), previous: 10 at Gonzaga (Nov. 13)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the second time this year (26 games) and 33rd in his career (130 games)
- Set a season high in field goals made (5-6)
- Set a season high in three-pointers made (4-5)
- Set a season high in free throws made (6-6)