Men's Basketball falls at No. 5/5 UConn, 71-63

Friday, December 12

Hartford, CT

7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET

University of Texas

7-4,0-0SEC

Connecticut

10-1,0-0Big East

Team	1	2	F
Texas	34	29	63
UConn	43	28	71

Tramon Mark

12.12.2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Texas Press Conference

Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope each register 15 points during Friday’s defeat in Hartford.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Graduate guard Tramon Mark and senior guard Jordan Pope each posted 15 points, but Texas (7-4) dropped a 71-63 decision on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at PeoplesBank Arena. The Longhorns fell to 1-2 on the year against AP-ranked opponents.

Mark hit 6-of-13 field goals, including 1-of-2 threes, and 2-of-2 free throws while adding five rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes. Pope converted 5-of-10 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws in a team-high 32 minutes. The Longhorns were 19-of-28 (.679) from the free throw line, while UConn went 7-of-13 (.538) from the line during the contest.

Texas took an early 5-2 lead following a Mark jumper at the 18:18 mark, but the Huskies used an 11-2 spurt over the next three minutes to grab a 13-7 advantage after a Solo Ball dunk with 15:27 left. The Longhorns trimmed the margin to 18-16 following a Chendall Weaver three-pointer at the 12:33 mark, before UConn went on a 7-0 run to build a 25-16 cushion after a Tarris Reed Jr. layup with 10:22 remaining.

The Huskies increased their advantage to 32-20 following a Jaylin Stewart dunk in transition at the 7:05 mark, but Texas responded with a 13-3 spurt over the next four-plus minutes to cut the deficit to 35-33 after a Pope jumper with 2:54 left. UConn closed the half on an 8-1 run to take a 43-34 lead into the break.

An Alex Karaban jumper to open the second half gave the Huskies a 45-34 cushion at the 19:38 mark, before the Longhorns scored five straight points to pull to within 45-39 following a Swain free throw with 18:02 remaining. Texas cut the deficit to 51-44 after a Lassina Traore free throw at the 14:35 mark, but UConn used a 6-1 spurt over the next three-and-a-half minutes to build a 57-45 advantage following a Jayden Ross dunk with 11:02 left.

The Longhorns responded by scoring six straight point to trim the margin to 57-51 after a pair of Pope free throws at the 8:52 mark. Texas pulled to within 61-56 following a pair of Matas Vokietaitis free throws with 4:30 remaining, but Solo Ball knocked down a desperation three-pointer at the end of the shot clock and Karaban followed with another three to push the lead to 67-56 at the 3:23 mark. The Longhorns twice cut the margin to six points in the final two minutes but could not get any closer the rest of the way.

Texas is back in action when it hosts Le Moyne on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. Central in Moody Center, and the game will be streamed nationally by SEC Network+.

Texas Basketball Postgame Notes

#5/5 UConn 71, Texas 63

December 12, 2025

PeoplesBank Arena (Hartford, Conn.)

Attendance: 15,495

Team Notes

This marked the third straight year that Texas has faced UConn in the regular season.
Texas dropped to 3-9 against the Huskies in the all-time series between the two teams.
The Longhorns fell to 1-2 on the season against AP-ranked opponents.

UT converted 19-of-28 (.679) from the free throw line, while UConn went 7-of-13 (.538) from the stripe.
The Longhorns registered a +2 rebound margin (31-29) and have now outrebounded each of their first 11 opponents this season.
Texas grabbed 13 offensive rebounds in the contest and has reached double digits in offensive rebounds in eight of its first 11 games this year.
UT posted a 13-7 advantage in second-chance points and a 10-9 edge in fast-break points.
The Longhorns limited UConn to 28 points in the second half on 42.9-percent (12-28) from the floor, including a 2-of-9 (.222) mark from three-point range.

Tramon Mark