By Steve Habel/Senior Editor
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas men’s basketball team’s in-game adjustments — and a heaping helping of solid defense in the final four minutes — made the difference as the Longhorns outlasted Kansas State for a 60-57 victory Tuesday before a crowd of 10,620 at the Frank Erwin Center.
Point guard Isaiah Taylor worked the paint for most of his 17 points and sharp-shooting guard Javan Felix added 14 points as the Longhorns played the inside-out game to their advantage, especially down the stretch.
Felix hit [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]an NBA-range three-pointer with 3:45 to play to give the Longhorns a 51-50 lead. Kansas State followed with its worst three possessions of the game as Texas expanded its advantage over the next minute with free throws from Felix and Taylor.
“We wanted to force them away from some of the plays that worked for them earlier in the game and take them out of their comfort zone and that worked for us,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “We were in a six-minute game and it came down to making the shots and making the stops.”
Forward Connor Lammert buried a thre-pointer at the 1:21 mark to push the Longhorns lead to 58-52, and Taylor hit two of his final four attempts to allow Texas (9-5, 1-1 in Big 12 play) to even its league mark.
The Wildcats (10-4, 0-2 in Big 12) got 15 points from guard Barry Brown and 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds from guard Justin Edwards.
“Once we settled down be played better and we had a lot of things go our way,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “Down the stretch, Texas made the shots and we didn’t. We had some unforced mistakes and that hurt us. They switched their defense and we didn’t respond when we needed to.”
Kansas State fell behind, 5-0, in the opening four minutes and trailed throughout before closing the first half on a 12-2 run to take a 29-26 lead.
Texas hit four of 14 three-point shots in the first half, ending up at 39 percent overall from the floor. Kansas State, meanwhile, pushed the ball in the paint as much as possible, trying to take advantage of the Longhorns’ lack of size.
“We worked on finishing plays and we did that at the end of the game,” Taylor said. “Our defensive adjustments down the stretch made the difference. Since (injured center Cameron Ridley) is out, we can’t afford to get beat off the dribble. We have to be better on defense.”
The Longhorns’ two modes of attack were Taylor’s drives and the long-distance shot (Texas ended up 6-of-23 from beyond the arc), and the strategy worked to keep them close throughout the second half.
“I stay aggressive and keep shooting even when my shots aren’t falling,” said Felix, who was 4-of-11 overall, and 2-of-7 from long distance. “My job is to shoot when I’m open, and I made enough of them tonight to make a difference.”
Smart said he will take any win, and even the ugly ones are pretty when it comes to beating Kansas State.
“From a results standpoint, you want to get the win, especially after two straight losses,” Smart said. “I think we improved tonight. There were some signs (that) we are closer to where we need to be, but I will work to get us back to the process. We have a smaller margin for error with (Ridley) out, and everyone needs to do their job better.”
Texas returns to the court Saturday when it travels to Fort Worth to face TCU (8-6, 0-2).
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