The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
0-0,0-0Big 12
St. Edward's (Exhibition)
0-0,0-0Lone Star
No. 18/18 Men's Basketball defeats St. Edward’s, 84-63, in exhibition game
10.30.2023 | Men's Basketball
Junior guard Tyrese Hunter recorded a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds in Monday’s win.
AUSTIN, Texas — Junior guard Tyrese Hunter posted a game-high 22 points and nine assists to lead No. 18/18 Texas to an 84-63 victory against St. Edward's in an exhibition contest on Monday night at Moody Center. UT head coach Rodney Terry is a 1990 graduate of St. Edward's who was a three-year starter at point guard and three-time Academic All-Big State Conference selection during his collegiate career.
Hunter converted 7-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, and 5-of-6 free throws to go along with four rebounds and one block in 33 minutes. Graduate guard Max Abmas registered 18 points (7-16 FG) and three assists without a turnover in 37 minutes, while sophomore forward Dillon Mitchell added 14 points (7-10 FG), a game-high nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 32 minutes.
Texas recorded a 46-24 advantage in points in the paint, a 14-2 edge in fast-break points and a 23-10 advantage in points off turnovers on the evening.
The first half featured six ties and four lead changes. After a Brock Cunningham layup gave the Longhorns a 16-14 advantage at the 9:16 mark, the Hilltoppers used a 6-0 run to build a 20-16 lead following an Aleu Aleu layup with 8:00 remaining. A Cunningham three-pointer pulled Texas to within 25-21 at the 6:53 mark, but St. Edward's responded with six-straight points to take a 31-21 lead after a Gavino Ramos three-pointer with 5:10 left. A Sean Elkinton layup gave the Hilltoppers a 39-29 cushion at the 1:00 mark, before a Hunter three-pointer with six seconds left closed the margin to 39-32 at the break.
The Longhorns dominated the second half, outscoring the Hilltoppers by a 52-24 margin. Texas converted 62.5-percent (20-32) from the floor while holding St. Edward's to 34.8-percent (8-23) field goal shooting in the final 20 minutes. UT posted a 22-6 advantage on the boards in the second half, including a 7-0 margin on the offensive glass.
Texas opened the second half with a 12-1 run in the opening 4:08 to take a 44-40 lead following a Hunter layup with 15:52 remaining. An Aleu jumper trimmed the margin to 49-46 at the 12:19 mark, before the Longhorns used an 11-2 spurt over the next four minutes to build a 60-48 cushion following a pair of Abmas free throws with 8:22 left.
A Jeff Gary three-pointer cut the deficit to 60-51 at the 8:05 mark, but the Longhorns sealed the victory with a 16-1 run to increase its advantage to 76-52 following a Mitchell dunk in transition with 4:42 remaining. The Hilltoppers were unable to get closer than 19 points for the rest of the night.
Texas opens the regular season with a home contest against Incarnate Word on Monday, Nov. 6. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central at Moody Center, and the game will be televised by Longhorn Network.
