2nd-half run propels Texas to win over Oklahoma State, back to .500 in Big 12 play
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas went on a 14-0 run midway through the second half to fend off a pesky Oklahoma State squad 81-65 in Big 12 men’s basketball action Saturday at Moody Center.
The Cowboys erased an 11-point halftime deficit to tie the game 52-52 at the 12:20 mark, but over the next three minutes, the Longhorns went on a run of their own. Brock Cunningham sparked it with a 3-pointer with 12:05 left, and from there Texas ran off 11 more points, culminating on a Dylan Disu 3-pointer with 9:18 left.
Tyrese Hunter provided a big highlight during the run after he turned an open-court steal into points with a mighty two-handed fastbreak dunk.
Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry said his club “answered the bell.”
“We’ve been able to have more physical practices with having more healthy guys, and we emptied the tank today,” he said. “We put the onus on our defense to change the game and were able to score off our defense.”
Texas guard Chendall Weaver came to life in the second half after starting the game on the bench. Weaver scored 11 straight points including a vicious putback dunk, 3-pointer and a breakaway one-handed tomahawk dunk to stretch the Longhorns’ lead to 77-58 with 3:41 left. He ended the game with 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting.
“I’m just trying to be a star in my role,” Weaver said. “I feel like it goes back to my teammates in trusting me to make the right plays.”
Terry had to sit Weaver near the end of the first half to keep him out of foul trouble, and then like Sir’Jabari Rice did for the Longhorns last season, Weaver exploded off the bench.
“He’s put his mark on every game he’s been in whether it’s on offense or defense,” Terry said of Weaver. “He’s embraced his role this year.”
Disu led the Longhorns in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 16 from the field. Texas shot 47% from the field, 32 for 68, and forced 15 turnovers.
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Max Abmas made the 500th 3-pointer of his college career and finished the game with 15 points on 5 of 10 from the field. Texas grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and scored 22 second-chance points while the Cowboys scored just one. Texas outrebounded Oklahoma State 39-28 and held the Cowboys to 26% from 3-point range, shooting 5 of 19 from long range. For the season, the Cowboys shoot 34% from behind the 3-point line.
For Oklahoma State, John-Michael Wright scored a game-high 18 points on 5 of 12 shooting. The Cowboys were 18 of 21 from the foul line.
Texas (19-10, 8-8 Big 12) has won consecutive games for the first time since they beat Baylor and Oklahoma in back-to-back games Jan. 20 and 23. The Longhorns face the Bears on Monday in Waco and finish the regular season at home against Oklahoma on March 9.
