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Struggling Texas Longhorns MBB Barely Survives Kansas State, 80-77

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Basketball

Junior guard Andrew Jones posted a game-high 24 points to lead No. 13/13 Texas (12-5, 6-4 Big 12) to an 80-77 victory at Kansas State (5-16, 1-11 Big 12) on Tuesday evening at Bramlage Coliseum. UT improved to 6-1 in contests away from Austin this year, including a 3-1 mark in true road games.

Jones, who topped the 20-point mark for the fifth time in UT's 10 league contests, was a single point shy of matching his career high set earlier this month against No. 2/2 Baylor. He converted 8-of-14 field goals, including 4-of-7 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 free throws in 33 minutes.

Freshman forward Greg Brown registered 17 points and seven boards, while converting 6-of-8 field goals, including a career-best 4-of-5 from three-point range, in 25 minutes. Junior guard Courtney Ramey tallied 14 points and five assists, and senior guard Matt Coleman III added 10 points and a game-high seven assists.

The Longhorns shined offensively in the opening half, converting 65.2-percent from the floor (15-23), including 8-of-12 (.667) from three-point range, while building a 43-39 lead at the break. Brown had 14 of his 17 points in the first half, as he knocked down 5-of-6 field goals, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Texas opened the second half with a 19-6 run over the first seven minutes to increase its cushion to 62-45 following a Kai Jones free throw with 13:07 remaining. The Longhorns held a 68-58 advantage after a Ramey jumper at the 6:53 mark, but the Wildcats responded with six straight points to trim the margin to 68-64 following a Mike McGuirl jumper with 4:38 left.

K-State closed to within a single point (74-73) after a McGuirl three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining. Texas hit 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final 20 seconds to secure the road win.

The Longhorns return to action when they host TCU on Saturday, Feb. 13. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT at the Frank Erwin Center, and the game will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.

Texas Basketball Postgame Notes

#13/13 Texas 80, Kansas State 77

February 9, 2021

Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan, Kan.)

Team Notes

  • Texas has now won five of the last six meetings against the Wildcats.
  • UT swept the regular-season series against K-State for the second straight year.
  • The Longhorns improved to 6-1 in contests away from Austin this season (3-1 in true road games, 3-0 in neutral-site contests).
  • Texas converted 51.0-percent (26-51) from the floor on the night, including a 50-percent mark (13-26) from three-point range.
  • The Longhorns tied a team season high for three-point field goals made (13-26), also had 13 vs. Texas Tech (Jan. 13).
  • Texas registered 16 assists during the contest, just two shy of its team season high (18 vs. Davidson on Nov. 30).
  • The Longhorns led by as much as 17 points (62-45) at the 13:07 mark of the second half.
  • UT hit 10-of-12 free throws (.833) during the second half, including a perfect 6-of-6 in the final 20 seconds.
  • The Longhorns scored 43 points in the opening half while converting 65.2-percent from the floor (15-23), including a 66.7-percent mark from three-point range (8-12).
  • Texas made its first six 3-point field goal attempts of the contest.