Max Abmas poured in a season-high 26 points and keyed the game-winning run in the middle of the second half as No. 16 Texas turned it on late for a 77-58 win over visiting Texas State on Thursday in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (6-1) ruled the game’s first eight minutes, racking up 25 of the first 29 points, but then scored just 13 points over the ensuing 16 minutes while giving up the lead.
Abmas rescued Texas by producing 10 points during a decisive 24-12 run and the Longhorns had enough to hold on for the victory over their neighbors 35 miles to the south.
Ithiel Horton added 12 points for Texas while Dillon Mitchell and Kadin Shedrick each scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Tyrese Hunter also had 11 points.
Dylan Dawson led the Bobcats (3-5) with 15 points. Brandon Love had 14 and Jordan Mason scored 10 for Texas State.
The Longhorns led 25-4 at the under-12-minute timeout. Texas had a 16-0 run to conclude that stretch while hitting 9 of 11 shots and keeping the Bobcats to a 0-for-5 showing from the floor.
Texas State did not go away, forging a 14-0 run with the help of a 3-pointer and a layup by Tate. Ultimately a free throw by Love cut the Bobcats’ deficit to seven points at the 7:41 mark of the first half as Texas missed 10 consecutive shots.
A basket by Horton at the 5:35 mark ended the Longhorns’ 6 1/2-minute scoring drought. Two free throws by Shedrick with 17 seconds remaining allowed Texas to take a 36-26 lead into the break.
Abmas led all scorers with 11 points before halftime, with all of those points coming in the initial 6:10 of the game. Dawson paced the Bobcats with eight first-half points.
Texas State began the second half with a 16-2 run capped by a jumper from Love to take a 42-38 lead with 15:56 to play. The Longhorns, led by Abmas, then charged back and pulled away.
–Field Level Media