Sophomores carry men’s basketball past Oklahoma State, 82-79

By Steve Habel/Senior Editor

AUSTIN, Texas — When the University of Texas men’s basketball team needed a big basket or two (or three) in the middle of the second half Wednesday against Oklahoma State when the game was close, the ball went time and time again to sophomore swingman Tevin Mack.

But in the final minutes, with the Cowboys making a final surge to get back in the contest, Texas coach Shaka Smart demanded that sophomore guard Eric Davis, Jr. — a player who has struggled with his shooting almost all season — had the ball in his hands.

Somehow that strategy worked, as Mack scored a career-high 27 points and Davis, Jr. hit for 16 — 14 in the second half — as Texas [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]came from behind and outlasted Oklahoma State, 82-79, Wednesday in Big 12 Conference play at the Erwin Center.

Davis scored eight consecutive points for the Longhorns on a layup and two straight three-pointers to allow Texas to earn a 73-63 lead with 3:21 to play. The second long-range bomb came after Smart purposely slowed down the UT offense and called a play to get the ball to Davis, who obliged with a big shot from the elbow just outside the three-point line.

“I’ve been trying to emphasize to Davis that when things aren’t going for you, you have to go harder and sharper, and he’s been working so hard,” Smart said. “Eric is a good shooter — and sometimes he doesn’t shoot when I want him to — and Oklahoma State’s defense allowed him to have some open looks.”

The clutch performances from Mack and Davis almost weren’t enough. A running jumper off the bank by Oklahoma State guard Jawun Evans at the 1:27 mark brought the Cowboys back to within 75-69, but the Longhorns did just enough in the end game to hold off OSU.

Davis said he’s focused on staying positive, on trusting the process Smart is instilling and continuing to work hard.

“It felt good that Coach called the play for me, but he would do that for any one with the hot hand — it’s all about feeding the heat,” Davis said. “But it’s great to know he has the confidence in me to make the play in that situation. Just seeing the ball go through the hole is a good feeling. I know that it’s not assured that the shots I made tonight will go in during the next game.”

Davis finished with 16 points, while sophomore guard Kerwin Roach II added 11 points for Texas (7-7, 1-1 in Big 12). Freshman guard Andrew Jones hit for 10 and freshman center Jarrett Allen pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Longhorns.

“If you look at the makeup of our team, we need (Mack, Davis and Roach) to play well,” Smart said. “It’s the first time when all three sophomores played at this level this year.”

Forward Jeffrey Carroll led Oklahoma State (10-4, 0-2 in Big 12) with 24 points, and Evans added 19 before fouling out in the final minute.

A 7-0 run over a 1:45 span helped the Cowboys turn a 15-13 deficit into a 20-15 lead with 8:57 to play in the first half. During Oklahoma State’s surge, Texas endured a stretch of more than three minutes without a field goal.

A three-pointer by Mack with 2:57 to play in the first half allowed the Longhorns to tie the score at 32, but Oklahoma State’s Thomas Dziagwa answered with long jumper of his own to give the Cowboys back the lead at 35-32. Mack hit another three-pointer on the ensuing trip down the floor and Shaquille Cleare’s two free throws pushed Texas to the lead at 37-35.

Carroll quickly responded for the Cowboys with a layup that knotted the game at 37 and a Dziagwa three-pointer at the horn to end the half gave Oklahoma State a 39-37 advantage at intermission.

Oklahoma State outshot the Longhorns, 46.9 percent to 35.7 percent, in the first 20 minutes of action and was led by Carroll’s 13 points. Texas stayed in the game by going 14-of-17 from the free throw line and because of Mack’s 11 first-half points.

The Cowboys committed seven fouls in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the game and Texas was able to exploit that situation for the rest of the contest.

“After the early part of the game, we knew we could be aggressive and didn’t have to settle for threes because they were in foul trouble,” Mack said.

Mack matched his output from the first half in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the second, carrying UT to a 55-50 lead. The Longhorns took the lead thanks to a 12-2 run in which they made five of their six field goals.

“When we did not foul them, our defense was pretty good,” Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood said. “Our defense was pretty good. The stretch in the second half where they took the lead came out of layups and transition and us just not getting back. We were out of character, probably because we were in foul trouble and had players on the court that we aren’t used to having out there with the game on the line.

“Texas can exploit you with its athleticism, especially in transition. We helped them with the way we played tonight.”

The Longhorns return to the court Saturday when they travel to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State at 8:15 p.m. (Central time) in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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