Junior Dylan Disu recorded a team-high 14 points and three blocked shots to pace No. 16/17 Texas (9-2) to a 68-48 victory against Alabama State (1-10) on Wednesday afternoon at the Frank Erwin Center. UT, which entered the contest leading the nation in scoring defense (53.5 ppg), has now held six of its first 11 opponents below 50 points.
Disu, playing in just his third game for the Longhorns since recovering from a left knee injury last year at Vanderbilt, converted 6-of-10 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws while adding four boards, three blocks and two steals in 18 minutes. Senior Marcus Carr tallied 13 points while hitting 3-of-5 threes in 32 minutes, and senior Andrew Jones added 12 points and three assists. Senior Timmy Allen posted 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 31 minutes.
With the score tied at 2-2, the Hornets went on a 14-2 run over a six-minute stretch to grab a 16-4 advantage following a Kenny Strawbridge three-pointer with 12:36 left. Texas responded with a 17-4 spurt over the next eight minutes to trim the margin to 21-20 after a pair of Allen free throws at the 4:23 mark.
Trailing 25-22 following a Trace Young jumper with 3:23 remaining, the Longhorns closed the half with a 7-0 run to take a 29-25 lead into the break. Disu had 10 points and three rebounds while hitting 5-of-7 field goals in 11 minutes of action during the first half.
The Hornets cut the deficit to a single point (31-30) after a Juan Reyna three-pointer with 18:32 left, but that was as close as Alabama State would get the rest of the way. The Longhorns immediately answered with a 10-0 run over the next five minutes to build a 41-30 cushion following a Carr three-pointer at the 13:43 mark.
An Isaiah Range jumper trimmed the margin to 44-35 with 12:28 left, but Texas responded with a 7-2 spurt to increase its advantage to 51-37 after a Jase Febres three-pointer at the 9:48 mark. Leading 53-42 with 6:45 remaining, the Longhorns scored six straight points to put the game out of reach and gain a 59-42 advantage following an emphatic Christian Bishop follow slam at the 4:16 mark.
Texas returns to action when it hosts Incarnate Word on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. Central at the Frank Erwin Center, and the game will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.