HOUSTON (AP) — Max Abmas had 20 points and seven assists, Tyrese Hunter added a season-high 19 points and No. 19 Texas defeated LSU 96-85 Saturday.
Dylan Disu scored 17 points and Dillon Mitchell had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Texas (8-2).
“I always get nervous before every game since like elementary school,” said Disu, who was making his season debut. “There were a little more nerves for me because it’s been awhile.”
The Longhorns shot 54% from the field and made 10 of 20 from 3-point range.
“I thought we played really well in the first half, and for us, I thought we had pretty good carryover in terms of trying to finish the game out for 40 minutes,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said.
Texas led 56-37 at the half after shooting 61% from the field.
“We were getting inside-outs, working pick and rolls and getting open shots and trusting our teammates to knock them down,” Hunter said of the first half.
Jordan Wright scored a career-high 33 points – 31 in the second half – for the Tigers (6-5). Wright shot 9 of 14 from the field and was 5 of 7 on 3-pointers.
“I just felt like I was in a good rhythm,” Wright said. “I was able to get some good looks early in the second half, and I felt like the rim was huge for me.”
Jalen Cook and Derek Fountain added 13 points and Hunter Dean scored 11 points for LSU, which shot 46% from the field and made 11 shots from long range.
“Second half, I thought you saw signs of who we could be from an offensive standpoint,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “We played with a lot better pace there. … We were able to get high-quality shots. We were able to get to the free throw line and be aggressive there.”
Texas jumped out to an 18-5 lead on a three-point play by Disu. LSU closed to within 38-28 with six minutes left, but Texas answered with a 10-2 run to increase its lead to 18 on a layup by Ze’rik Onyema with four minutes left in the half.
After Texas extended the lead to 61-39 early in the second half, LSU answered with a 24-9 run to cut the lead to seven on a layup by Wright with 9 ½ minutes remaining. That would be as close as the Tigers would get as Texas reeled off six straight to up the lead to 76-63 on two free throws by Disu.
BIG PICTURE
LSU: The 56 points allowed in the first half were a season-high. … LSU shot 16 of 23 from the free throw line. They entered shooting 71%.
Texas: The Longhorns continue to beat teams they should, improving to 8-0 in games against Quad 3 and 4 opponents based on the NCAA Net rankings. They are 0-2 against Quad 1 opponents.
UP NEXT
LSU: Hosts Lamar Thursday.
Texas: Hosts Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Friday.
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