Abmas has 16 points and seven assists to lead No. 12 Texas past Houston Christian 77-50
Texas guard Max Abmas (3) celebrates a score against Houston Christian during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Credit: AP/Eric Gay
AUSTIN, Texas — Max Abmas had 16 points and seven assists and No. 12 Texas defeated Houston Christian 77-50 Saturday.
Kadin Shedrick had 15 points, three blocks and four of the Longhorns' 13 steals. Dillon Mitchell produced his third double-double of the season, 13 points and 12 rebounds, for Texas (7-2). Tyrese Hunter added 12 points, five assists and three steals.
Marcus Greene led Houston Christian (1-7) with 15 points. Michael Imariagbe had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Bonke Maring nine points and 13 rebounds.
The Huskies converted 30.3% from the field.
After a 21-point loss at Marquette on Wednesday, Texas coach Rodney Terry drilled his team on the importance of tenacity.
“I thought we had a pretty good effort today,” Terry said. “We really try to emphasize trying to play really hard, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Not trying to play perfect. You're gonna make mistakes. But you make them going hard.”
Eventually the Longhorns summoned what they needed. Houston Christian kept the game close beyond the midway point of the first half, trailing by three at the eight-minute mark.
Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) drives to the basket against Houston Christian forward Michael Imariagbe (33) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Credit: AP/Eric Gay
Texas finished the half with a 19-0 run for a 37-17 lead. Houston Christian missed its last 14 shots and failed to score for the final 12 minutes.
“We didn’t take the shots that we were taking early in the game,” Houston Christian coach Ron Cottrell said. "We were getting to the rim early and playing through contact and got to the free throw line. Then we started taking some mid-range shots, some ill-advised perimeter shots."
The Huskies finished the half with 12 turnovers, five fewer than their average, which ranks 348th of 351 NCAA Division I teams.
Ten of those turnovers were steals by Texas. The Longhorns took advantage of the turnovers to score 12 of their 21 fast-break points in the half.
Texas forward Dillon Mitchell (23) shoots over Houston Christian center Bonke Maring (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Credit: AP/Eric Gay
“Where they made their run was those steals,” Cottrell said. “Really got us on our heals. You can't let them get out and run.”
Mitchell said the Longhorns need to play that way for entire games.
“We've got to come out and set the tone from the jump,” Mitchell said. “It starts with our defense.”
BIG PICTURE
Houston Christian: The Huskies finished a rough stretch against Big 12 Conference teams as they prepare for the Southland Conference season. They lost to Oklahoma State by 27 points and TCU by 37 before facing Texas.
Texas: The Longhorns have not played a challenging non-conference schedule. They lost to the only AP Top 25 teams they've faced, UConn by 10 in New York City and at Marquette. Texas meets LSU on Dec. 16 in Houston, which should provide a better gauge where the Longhorns stand.
DISU CLOSER TO RETURN
Starting forward Dylan Disu has recently begun practicing with the Longhorns after missing the first nine games while recovering from off-season foot surgery.
“He’s going to have a full week of work with us this next week, and we’ll kind of gauge and see what that looks like at the end of the week,” Terry said.
UP NEXT
Houston Christian: hosts Champion Christian on Dec. 16.
Texas: plays LSU in Houston on Dec. 16.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
