The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
11-7,2-3SEC
Texas A&M
14-4,4-1SEC
Men's Basketball falls to Texas A&M, 74-70
01.17.2026 | Men's Basketball
Jordan Pope and Dailyn Swain each posted 17 points in Saturday’s home loss in the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown.
AUSTIN, Texas — Senior guard Jordan Pope and junior guard/forward Dailyn Swain each registered 17 points, but Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) dropped a 74-70 decision to Texas A&M (14-4, 4-1 SEC) in the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown on Saturday evening in Moody Center. This marked the first win by the Aggies in Austin since an 80-74 victory on Jan. 23, 2002, snapping a streak of 11 consecutive home wins by the Longhorns in the series.
Pope converted 4-of-9 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line while adding three assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes. Swain hit 6-of-11 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws while posting six boards and two steals in 37 minutes. Sophomore Matas Vokietaitis tallied 14 points (8-12 FT) and nine rebounds in 30 minutes, and graduate Tramon Mark recorded 13 points (6-14 FG), three assists and three boards in 32 minutes.
A back-and-forth first half featured seven lead changes and two ties with neither team leading by more than six points. Texas jumped out to a 7-2 lead after a pair of Vokietaitis free throws at the 16:44 mark, but the Aggies answered with a 10-2 spurt over the next six minutes to grab a 12-9 advantage following a Jamie Vinson dunk with 10:49 left.
Texas A&M took an 18-17 lead after a Rashaun Agee hook shot at the 5:23 mark, before the Longhorns went on a 7-0 run to build a 24-18 cushion following a Swain free throw with 3:36 remaining. The Aggies used an 11-2 spurt to take a 29-26 advantage after a pair of Jacari Lane free throws with 17 seconds left, before a Mark three-pointer at the buzzer evened the score at 29-29 at the break.
Texas A&M opened the second half with a 15-5 run over the first 3:43 to grab a 44-34 lead following an Agee three-point play at the 16:17 mark. The Longhorns used a pair of Swain free throws and a Swain dunk in transition to trim the margin to 48-42 with 14:02 remaining. The Aggies increased their cushion to 56-45 after a Lane layup at the 10:55 mark, before Texas scored five-straight points to close the deficit to 56-50 following a Pope three-pointer with 9:49 left.
The Longhorns cut the gap to six points a total of three times over the next five minutes, the last after a Pope four-point play at the 4:37 mark. Texas A&M scored five-straight points to build a 73-62 cushion following a Lane three-pointer with 3:02 left, before Texas went on an 8-0 run to trim the margin to 73-70 after a Chendall Weaver layup with seven seconds left. Lane hit 1-of-2 free throws on the ensuing possession to seal the victory for the Aggies.
Texas returns to action when it travels to Lexington, Ky., to face Kentucky on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Tip is slated for 6 p.m. Central (7 p.m. Eastern) in Rupp Arena, and the game will be televised nationally by SEC Network.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown
Texas A&M 74, Texas 70
January 17, 2026
Moody Center (Austin, Texas)
Attendance: 11,422
Team Notes
- Texas dropped to 140-88 in the all-time series against Texas A&M.
- Prior to tonight's defeat, the Longhorns had won 11 consecutive and 24 of the last 25 home contests against the Aggies.
- This marked the first win by Texas A&M in Austin since an 80-74 decision on Jan. 23, 2002.
- The Longhorns fell to 49-15 all-time in games played in Moody Center, including an 8-3 mark this season.
- Texas registered a plus-7 (37-30) rebound margin and grabbed 11 offensive boards. The Longhorns have now outrebounded 16 of their first 18 opponents and reached double figures in offensive rebounds in 15 of their first 18 games.
- Reached double figures in scoring (13 points) for the 12th time this year (18 games) and 86th time in his career (154 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring (17 points) for the 14th time this year (18 games) and 85th time in his career (116 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring (17 points) for the 16th time this year (18 games) and 41st time in his career (81 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring (14 points) for the 14th time this year (18 games) and 32nd time in his career (52 games)
- Reached double digits in free throws attempted (8-12) for the seventh time this season
