Senior guard Matt Coleman III registered a career-high 30 points, and senior forward Jericho Sims added a career-best 21 points and 14 rebounds to pace No. 13/16 Texas (19-7) to an exciting 91-86 victory against No. 12/14 Oklahoma State (20-8) on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center in the title game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. With the victory, UT captured the Big 12 postseason tournament crown for the first time in school history and secured the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Coleman converted 10-of-14 field goals, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 6-of-6 free throws in 37 minutes while becoming the first Longhorn to reach the 30-point mark in a Big 12 tourney contest since Kevin Durant in 2007. Sims dominated in the paint, hitting 8-of-11 field goals and grabbing six of his 14 boards on the offensive glass while adding three steals and two blocks in a season-high 35 minutes.
Junior guard Andrew Jones posted 13 points while converting a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line, tying a school Big 12 tourney single-game mark for most free throws made without a miss. Sophomore forward Kai Jones added 13 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes, and sophomore forward Brock Cunningham provided a spark with seven points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 26 minutes off the bench.
The Cowboys took an early 8-4 lead after a Bryce Williams transition layup at the 16:32 mark. Oklahoma State went ahead 13-11 following an Isaac Likekele layup with 14:22 left, but that would mark the final lead of the night for the Cowboys. The Longhorns responded with a 7-0 spurt over the next two minutes to grab an 18-13 advantage after a Coleman layup at the 12:34 mark.
Leading 29-25 with 5:44 remaining, Texas used a 14-4 run over a four-minute span to build a 43-29 cushion following a Cunningham three-pointer at the 1:28 mark. The Longhorns converted 55.2-percent (16-29) from the floor, including a 4-of-8 mark from three-point range, en route to a 43-33 halftime lead. UT held the Cowboys to an 0-of-9 mark from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
Trailing 52-43 after a Sims free throw at the 15:24 mark, Oklahoma State scored seven straight points to pull within 52-50 following a Rondel Walker layup with 13:30 left. Texas again answered with a 14-5 run to increase its margin to 66-55 after a Coleman three at the 9:06 mark.
The Longhorns did not allow the margin to dip below six points until the final minute of the game. Cade Cunningham knocked down a pair of deep three-pointers to trim the deficit to 89-86 with six seconds remaining, but Andrew Jones calmly sank a pair of free throws to seal the win.
