Felix’s Six 3-pointers Lead No. 19 Men’s Basketball past Oklahoma State, 87-68
Via The University of Texas Athletics (TexasSports.com)
AUSTIN, Texas -- Javan Felix scored 27 points, making six 3-pointers and No. 19 Texas rolled to an 87-68 win over Oklahoma State, which played its first game Tuesday night without suspended star Marcus Smart.
Smart sat out the first of a three-game suspension by the Big 12 for shoving a Texas Tech fan. Without him, the Cowboys never had a chance.
Felix scored eight consecutive points that pushed Texas' lead to 22 early in the first half. The Longhorns (19-5, 8-3) led 54-33 at halftime despite playing without leading scorer Jonathan Holmes, who sat out with a knee injury.
Smart, who averages 18 points, will miss games against Oklahoma and Baylor before returning for the Cowboys' rematch with Texas Tech.
Le'Bryan Nash led Oklahoma State (16-8, 4-7) with23 points.
Both teams played without their best all-around best players. But while the Cowboys struggled mightily without Smart, the Longhorns didn't miss a beat without Holmes as Felix scored seemingly at will. Felix was 6-of-8 shooting on 3 pointers and was just one point shy of his career high.
He had plenty of help as Texas had four players score in double figures. Isaiah Taylor scored 16, Martez Walker scored 12 and Cameron Ridley had his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Texas' outburst came three days after the Longhorns scored just 18 points in the first half of a loss at Kansas State that ended a seven-game winning streak.
Back home, Texas made eight 3-pointers and shot better than 50 percent for most of the first half.
Connor Lammert, who got just his second start of the season in place of Holmes, made three 3-pointers in the first half. Felix turned it into a rout with an 8-pointer burst -- two 3-pointers and a layup -- that pushed Texas' lead to 36-14.
Felix opened the second half with two more 3-pointers. He followed the first one with a steal that set up his second in transition. The run ended any chance of a Cowboys rally before it could even begin.
Smart scored 24 points when Oklahoma State beat Texas in early January. Without him for the rematch, Oklahoma State didn't have an answer for anything Texas wanted to do.
Sharp-shooting guard Phil Forte, who was Smart's high-school teammate when they won a Texas state championship on the same court, was just 2-of-7 shooting and never got a chance to open up from long-range. Forward Brian Williams was 0-8 and the Cowboys shot just 36 percent for the game.
Oklahoma State was ranked No. 11 when these teams first met early in the Big 12 schedule. The Cowboys have fallen hard from the early projections of conference title contenders and now lost five in a row.
Texas has not set a timetable for Holmes to return, but he is not expected to miss the rest of the season.
Postgame Notes
• Texas improves to 19-5 and 8-3 in Big 12 Conference play.
• UT is off to its best 24-game start (19-5) to a season since 2010-11 (started 21-3). It marks the sixth time in the Rick Barnes era (last 16 years) that the Horns have opened the year with at least 19 wins in their first 24 contests (21-3 in 2005-06, 2010-11; 20-4 in 2003-04, 2007-08; 19-5 in 2009-10).
• Texas improved to 46-39 all-time against Oklahoma State. The Longhorns have now won the last nine of 10 games when playing the Cowboys at the Frank Erwin Center.
• UT posted a 40-34 advantage on the glass. Texas has outrebounded 19 of its first 24 opponents and is 16-3 in those games.
• The Horns held the Cowboys to a 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field. Texas is 15-0 when holding opponents under 40 percent this year.
• Texas' 54 points in the first half were its most in any half this season.
• UT's eight first-half 3-pointers were the most in any half this season. Texas finished with 11 made 3-pointers to tie its season best.
• Texas shot 85.7 percent from the line in the first half (12-of-14) and finished shooting 77.4 percent (24-of-31).
• UT's 21-point halftime lead (54-33) was the largest by the Horns at the break all season.
• Set a career high in three-point field goals made (6-of-8) … previous high was four vs. Texas State (12-14-13)
• Reached the 20-point mark (27 points, one shy of career high) for the third time this season and fifth time in his career (57 games).
• Reached double figures in scoring for the 15th time this season and 24th time in his career (57 games).
• Matched his career high in steals with two
• In his second start of the season, set career highs in three-point field goals made (3-of-6) and minutes (34)
• Finished one point and one rebound shy of recording his first collegiate double-double (nine points, nine boards)
• Recorded his sixth double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) of the season and seventh in his career (57 games). It also marks his third double-double in Big 12 play this year.
• Set a career high in free throws made (10-of-12)
• Reached double figures in scoring for the 13th time this season and 15th time in his career.
• Reached double figures in rebounding for the ninth time this year and 12th time in his career.
• Reached double figures in scoring (16 points) for the fifth straight game and 19th time this year (24 games).
• Over the last five games, Taylor is averaging 18.8 ppg (31-of-69 FG, 31-of-34 FT) in 34.4 mpg
• Set a career high in scoring (12 points) and tied his career high in field goals made (4-of-6) and three-point field goals made (2-of-3).
• Reached double figures in scoring for the third time this year (23 games)
