The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
7-2,0-0Big 12
Houston Christian
1-7,0-0Southland
No. 12/16 Men's Basketball defeats Houston Christian, 77-50
12.09.2023 | Men's Basketball
Abmas posts a game-high 16 points and Mitchell adds his third double-double of the season to pace the Longhorns on Saturday afternoon.
AUSTIN, Texas — Graduate guard Max Abmas tallied a game-high 16 points to pace No. 12/16 Texas (7-2) to a 77-50 victory over Houston Christian (1-7) on Saturday afternoon in Moody Center. Sophomore forward Dillon Mitchell recorded his third double-double through the first nine games of this season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Abmas converted 7-of-12 field goals and added a season-best seven assists against just one turnover in 30 minutes. Mitchell, who registered just one double-double in 38 games during his freshman season, converted 5-of-8 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws to go along with three assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 31 minutes. Graduate forward Kadin Shedrick recorded 15 points (6-10 FG, 1-1 threes, 2-2 FT), a career-high four steals and three blocked shots in 25 minutes, and junior guard Tyrese Hunter added 12 points (5-10 FG), five assists and a season-high three steals in 34 minutes.
The Longhorns held Houston Christian to 50 points on 30.3-percent (20-66) field goal shooting, including a 3-of-12 (.250) mark from three-point range, on the afternoon. Texas recorded a team season-high 13 steals and forced 16 turnovers while posting a 20-4 advantage in points off turnovers. The Longhorns also registered a 48-30 margin in points in the paint and a 21-4 edge in fast-break points.
Tied at 6-6 following a Bonke Maring layup at the 16:32 mark, the Longhorns used back-to-back three-pointers from Hunter and Shedrick to grab a 12-6 advantage with 15:56 remaining. Texas increased its cushion to 16-8 after a Mitchell layup at the 14:50 mark. HCU used a 9-2 spurt over the next three minutes to trim the deficit to 18-17 following a Maring jumper with 11:57 left.
From there, the Longhorns pitched a shutout for the remainder of the first half and closed the half by scoring the final 19 points to take a 37-17 lead into the break. Texas held Houston Christian to 17 points on 20.7-percent (6-29) field goal shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
The Longhorns increased their lead to 44-23 following a three-point play from Ze'Rik Onyema at the 15:37 mark. The Huskies used a 5-0 spurt over the next two minutes to cut the deficit to 44-28 after a Marcus Greene three-point play with 13:44 left, but that was as close as HCU would get the rest of the way.
The Huskies trimmed the margin to 58-41 following a Maring put-back at the 8:11 mark, before the Longhorns sealed the outcome with an 8-0 run over the next 2:20 to grab a 66-41 advantage after a Chendall Weaver three-pointer with 5:51 remaining. The margin stayed above 20 points for the remainder of the contest.
Texas is back in action when it travels to Houston to face LSU in a neutral-site game as part of The Halal Guys Showcase on Saturday, Dec. 16. Tip is scheduled for 11 a.m. Central at the Toyota Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
#12/16 Texas 77, Houston Christian 50
December 9, 2023
Moody Center (Austin, Texas)
Attendance: 10,418
Team Notes
- Texas improved to 22-1 all-time in games played in Moody Center (6-0 this year).
- The Longhorns improved to 4-0 in the all-time series against Houston Christian.
- Texas limited Houston Christian to 50 points on 30.3-percent (20-66) field goal shooting, including a 25.0-percent (3-12) mark from three-point range.
- The Longhorns recorded a 48-30 advantage in points in the paint, a 21-4 margin in fast-break points, a 20-4 edge in points off turnovers and a 19-2 margin in bench scoring.
- Texas registered 17 assists (on 32 field goals made) against just nine turnovers.
- The Longhorns tallied a team season high in steals (13).
- Texas held HCU to 17 points on 20.7-percent field goal shooting (6-29) in the opening 20 minutes.
- The Longhorns posted a 19-0 run over the final 11:56 of the first half to build a 37-17 advantage.
- Set his season high in assists (7) and committed just one turnover in 30 minutes, previous: 6 vs. Texas State (Nov. 30)
- Reached double figures in scoring (game-high 16 points) for the ninth time this year (9 games) and 121st time in his career (132 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the seventh time this year (9 games) and 47th time in his career (82 games)
- Set his season high in steals (3)
- Recorded a double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds) for the third time this season (9 games) and fourth time in his career (47 games)
- Reached double figures in points for the fifth time this year and 11th time in his career
- Reached double figures in rebounds for the fifth time this season and seventh time in his career
- Was just one rebound shy of his career high (13 vs. Rice on Nov. 15)
- Registered a team-best plus-minus total of plus-30 in 31 minutes
- Set his collegiate career high in steals (4), previous: 3, five times
- Tied his season high in blocks (3)
- Reached double figures in scoring (15 points) for the sixth time this year (8 games) and 28th time in his career (84 games)
- Set his season high in rebounds (6), previous: 4, twice
