Super senior forward Dylan Disu posted his first double-double of the season with 11 points and a season-high 11 rebounds to lead No. 7/7 Texas (24-8) to a 61-47 victory against Oklahoma State (18-15) in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship quarterfinals on Thursday evening in T-Mobile Center. With the win, the Longhorns advance to the semifinals against No. 22/23 TCU on Friday, March 10 at 8:30 p.m. Central.
Disu converted 4-of-7 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws to go along with three steals and one block in a season-high 32 minutes. Graduate Sir'Jabari Rice, who made his first start of the season in the place of super senior Timmy Allen (right lower leg injury), posted a team-high 15 points (6-6 FT) and added eight rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes. Sophomore Tyrese Hunter and graduate Marcus Carr each tallied 11 points, while freshman Arterio Morris recorded 10 points and two steals in 15 minutes.
The Longhorns limited Oklahoma State to 47 points on 26.9-percent (14-52) field goal shooting, including a 14.3-percent (3-21) mark from three-point range. UT allowed just seven assists while forcing 20 turnovers and posted a 22-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Texas jumped out to a 10-5 advantage following a Hunter three-pointer at the 15:46 mark. The Cowboys used an 8-1 spurt over the next 5:46 to take a 13-11 lead after a pair of Moussa Cisse free throws with 10:00 left. Tied at 15-15 following a Bryce Thompson jumper at the 8:09 mark, the Longhorns ran off six-straight points to build a 21-15 cushion after a Carr jumper with 6:48 remaining.
Texas extended its advantage to 33-21 following a Morris three-pointer at the 2:05 mark, before a Caleb Asberry three-pointer with 45 seconds left cut the margin to 35-26 at the break. The Longhorns forced 11 OSU turnovers and registered a 15-1 advantage in points off turnovers and a 10-1 margin in fast-break points in the first half.
Texas scored the first eight points of the second half to build a 43-26 cushion following a Disu free throw at the 17:09 mark. The Longhorns held Oklahoma State scoreless for the opening 6:19 of the half before a Kalib Boone layup trimmed the margin to 43-28 with 13:41 left. UT extended its lead to as much as 18 points (48-30) after a pair of Carr free throws at the 11:10 mark.
Another pair of Carr free throws gave Texas a 54-42 advantage with 3:22 remaining. The Cowboys cut the deficit to 56-47 following a pair of Asberry free throws at the 1:08 mark, before the Longhorns sealed the win by scoring the final five points of the contest.