The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
12-5,1-3SEC
Oklahoma
13-4,0-4SEC
Men's Basketball wins 77-73 at Oklahoma
01.16.2025 | Men's Basketball
Pope records 19 of his team-high 27 points in the second half to lead the Longhorns to their first SEC victory in program history in Norman on Wednesday night.
NORMAN, Okla. — Junior guard Jordan Pope registered 19 of his team-high 27 points in the second half to lead Texas (12-5, 1-3 SEC) to a 77-73 win at Oklahoma (13-4, 0-4 SEC) inside Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday night. This marked the first Southeastern Conference victory for the Longhorns in program history.
Texas has now won eight straight and nine of the last 10 meetings against the Sooners. The Longhorns also have claimed road victories in each of their last six trips to Norman.
Pope converted 9-of-17 field goals and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line while tying his career high with four steals in a season-high 36 minutes. Freshman Tre Johnson posted 16 points (7-17 FG, 2-5 threes), four rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes, and he connected on a pair of jumpers in the final two minutes to help seal the victory. Graduate Tramon Mark tied his season high with 15 points (5-11 FG, 2-4 threes, 3-4 FT) in a season-high 33 minutes, and graduate Kadin Shedrick added 10 points (3-3 FG, 4-4 FT), a team-best seven rebounds and three steals in 33 minutes.
After a Duke Miles layup gave the Sooners an early 4-2 advantage at the 18:27 mark, the Longhorns responded with a 14-3 run over the next four minutes to grab a 16-7 lead following an Arthur Kaluma layup with 13:39 remaining. Oklahoma scored five straight points to close the deficit to 16-12 after a Kobe Elvis jumper at the 11:40 mark.
Texas answered with a 13-4 spurt over the next three-and-a-half minutes to build a 29-16 advantage following a Pope three-pointer with 8:01 left. The Sooners trimmed the margin to 34-24 after an Elvis three-pointer at the 4:37 mark, before the Longhorns closed the half with a 9-3 run to take a 43-27 lead into the break. Texas limited Oklahoma to 37.9-percent (11-29) shooting from the floor, including a 1-of-8 (.125) mark from three-point range, in the opening 20 minutes.
The Longhorns began the second half with an 8-1 run over the opening 2:32 to increase their advantage to 51-28 following a Johnson layup at the 17:28 mark. After a Pope jumper gave Texas a 55-34 lead with 14:18 remaining, the Sooners used a 19-1 spurt over the next six-plus minutes to cut the lead to 56-53 after a Jalon Moore layup at the 7:45 mark.
Pope scored the next 13 points for the Longhorns to help Texas increase its advantage to 69-61 following a pair of free throws with 4:19 left. A Moore three-pointer trimmed the margin to 71-68 at the 3:03 mark, before Johnson answered with back-to-back jumpers to give the Longhorns a 75-68 advantage with 1:19 remaining. Oklahoma cut the lead to 75-73 after a Moore dunk with 15 seconds left, but Mark sealed the game with a breakaway layup after a length-of-the-court inbounds pass from Kaluma with 13 seconds remaining.
Texas returns to action when it travels to face No. 5/4 Florida on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip is scheduled for 3 p.m. Central (4 p.m. Eastern) at Exactech Arena, and the contest will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas 77, Oklahoma 73
January 15, 2025
Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Okla.)
Attendance: 10,436
Team Notes
- This marked the first Southeastern Conference victory for the Longhorns in program history.
- Texas has now won eight straight and nine of the last 10 meetings against Oklahoma.
- The Longhorns have now claimed road victories in their last six trips to Norman.
- Texas led by 16 points at halftime and by as much as 23 points (53-30) with 16:15 remaining in the contest.
- The Longhorns held Oklahoma to 27 points on 37.9-percent (11-29) shooting from the floor, including a 1-of-8 (.125) mark from three-point range, in the opening 20 minutes while building a 43-27 halftime cushion.
- Reached double figures in scoring (16 points) for the 14th time in his career (15 games)
- Tied his season high in steals (3)
- Tied his season high in assists (4)
- Tied his Texas season high in rebounds (5)
- Tied his Texas season high in scoring (15 points)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the seventh time this season (13 games) and 65th time in his career (120 games)
- Set his season high in minutes (33)
- Topped the 20-point mark (team-high 27 points) for the second time this year (17 games) and 15th time in his career (81 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the 11th time this season and 65th time in his career
- Tied his career high in steals (4)
- Set his season high in minutes (36)
- Reached double figures in scoring (10 points) for the eighth time this season (17 games) and 41st time in his career (125 games)
- Tied his season high in steals (3)
