Men’s basketball edges Arkansas in overtime, 73-71
By Steve Lansdale
EL PASO, Texas — Freshman guard Courtney Ramey scored with 47 seconds left in overtime to help the Texas men’s basketball team squeak past Arkansas, 73-71, Friday in the Armed Forces Classic in El Paso. The victory was the Longhorns’ second in as many games, and was the Razorbacks’ season opener.
Senior guard Kerwin Roach led the Longhorns with 18 points and snatched 11 rebounds to notch the second double-double of his career. Senior forward Dylan Osetkowski also posted a double-double, with 11 points and 13 boards.
The game in Soto Gym in Fort Bliss was played in front of roughly 1,400 members of the military and their families.
Roach and Osetkowski were two of five Longhorns who scored in double figures. The others were forward Jericho Sims and guards Elijah Mitrou-Long and Ramey, each of whom chipped in with 10.
After spotting the Razorbacks a 13-5 lead, the Longhorns responded with a 22-2 run to pull ahead, 27-15. UT headed to the locker room at halftime with a 36-30 lead. The Longhorns shot poorly from the floor (hitting just five of 26 field goals), but made up for it at the free throw line, where they connected on 14 of 20 shots, to keep the game close, before Roach’s three-pointer tied it with 1.1 seconds left to force the extra time. In overtime, Ramey’s floater with 47 seconds left put Texas ahead for good.
Arkansas leads the all-time series between the schools, 87-68.
Texas now heads home to face Louisiana-Monrow at 7 p.m. Monday in the Regional Round of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational in a game that will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network.
