Advertisement

Texas basketball holds off Kansas State to get needed Big 12 win

thomas jones, austin american-statesman
·2 min read

Texas guard Max Abmas etched his name in the NCAA record books by becoming just the 12th player in Division I history to reach 3,000 career points, but defense helped the Longhorns carve out a hard-fought 62-56 win over Kansas State Monday at Moody Center.

More: As Texas basketball makes trip to Houston, can Rodney Terry lure city's talent to Austin?

Texas (17-9, 6-7 Big 12), which never trailed in the game, throttled the Wildcats’ attack while avoiding an upset that would have marred its case for an NCAA Tournament berth. Kansas State managed to shoot just 35.7% from the floor and made only five of 19 3-point shots. That defensive effort by the Longhorns helped overcome a frigid night from the floor; one game after shooting 38.6% in a road loss at Houston, the Longhorns made just 36.2% of their shot against Kansas State.

Texas guard Tyrese Hunter drives toward the basket against Kansas State guard Tylor Perry in the Longhorns' 62-56 win at Moody Center Monday. The Longhorns never trailed in the Big 12 win.
Texas guard Tyrese Hunter drives toward the basket against Kansas State guard Tylor Perry in the Longhorns' 62-56 win at Moody Center Monday. The Longhorns never trailed in the Big 12 win.

But that proved enough against struggling Kansas State (15-11, 5-8), which has now lost seven of its last eight games and may have seen its faint at-large NCAA Tournament hopes flicker out.

Dylan Disu, Texas’ leading scorer for the season, again paced the Longhorns with 20 points and eight rebounds, but no other player reached double-figures for Texas.

The first half was only for those fans who love bricks and boards. Both teams managed to shoot just 32% from the floor, and Texas went the final 4 minutes, 8 seconds without a point. Despite all the misfiring, Texas took a 27-22 lead into the break because of the efforts of Disu and Dillon Mitchell, who combined for more than half of the Longhorns’ first-half points.

More: Dogus Balbay, the Texas basketball energizer of old, finds his way back home | Bohls

The starting backcourt of Tyrese Hunter and Abmas combined for just five points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first half. Abmas ended with eight points while reaching his milestone, and Hunter tallied nine points and spearheaded the Texas defense.

Mitchell ended the game with eight points and 10 rebounds.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Max Abmas reaches milestone as Texas basketball beats Kansas State