Texas Men’s Basketball falls at No. 3/3 Oklahoma, 63-60
NORMAN, Okla. — Junior guard Isaiah Taylor scored a team-high 19 points, and Kendal Yancy added a season-high 13 points and a career-high three steals, but No. 24/25 Texas fell, 63-60, Monday at No. 3/3 Oklahoma night at the Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield hit a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner.
The loss was the Longhorns' second this season in six games against teams ranked in the top 20 by the Associated Press at the time the games have been played.
Prince Ibeh was one point shy of his third double-double of the season, finishing with nine points and tying a career high with 11 rebounds. Texas (16-8 overall, 7-4 against Big 12 teams) led for a total of 34:57 and held the Sooners to a season-low 63 points.
Oklahoma (20-3, 8-3 Big 12) shot 40-percent from the field (20-of-50). Hield posted a game-high 27 points, but the Longhorns held him to 7-of-18 shooting from the floor, including a 3-of-10 mark from beyond the arc. He did convert 10-of-11 free throws on the night. Isaiah Cousins added 17 points and six rebounds for the Sooners.
The Longhorns jumped out to a 13-3 lead following an Ibeh dunk at the 16:00 mark. Yancy eclipsed his previous season high in points (seven) by scoring eight of UT's first 11 points in the opening three and a half minutes.
The Sooners cut the lead to three (24-21) after a Hield free throw with 2:59 remaining, but the Longhorns ended the half on a 7-1 run to grab a 31-22 advantage at the break. Texas held Oklahoma to a season low in first-half points on 7-of-25 shooting from the floor.
Oklahoma opened the second half with a 7-1 run over the first two minutes and trimmed the lead to 32-29 following consecutive baskets by Ryan Spangler. Another Ibeh dunk gave the Longhorns a 39-36 cushion, but a Cousins three-pointer tied the score at 39-39 with 12:52 remaining.
A jumper in the paint by Taylor and a Shaquille Cleare tip-in gave Texas a 47-43 lead with 9:18 left. UT increased its cushion to 57-51 following a Taylor three-point play with 3:30 remaining.
From there, Hield took over the game and scored the final 12 points for the Sooners. He converted a three-pointer to trim the lead to 57-54 at the 3:11 mark, then made a layup and later converted four consecutive free throws to give Oklahoma a 60-58 advantage with 1:19 left. Taylor answered with a pair of free throws to tie the score at 60-60 with 57 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Hield's game-winning shot.
The Longhorns committed just nine turnovers against the Sooners, marking the seventh time in their last 10 games that they have committed fewer than 10.
Texas resumes Big 12 Conference play Saturday, Feb. 13, at No. 14/15 Iowa State. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. (central time) at Hilton Coliseum; the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
