Marcus Carr scored 17 points as No. 4 Texas experienced no hangover from its biggest win in years, walloping Northern Arizona 73-48 on Monday in a Leon Black Classic game at Edinburg, Texas.
Texas (4-0) led by 28 at halftime and let off the gas in the second half, having done more than enough to secure the win while getting everyone in uniform into the game. It was the first time the Longhorns have ever played a regular-season game in the Rio Grande Valley.
Arterio Morris added 11 points for the Longhorns, with Dylan Disu and Tyrese Hunter hitting for 10 points apiece and Timmy Allen grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. No Texas player was on the court for more than 23 minutes, and 10 Longhorns players scored.
The Longhorns shot just 29.2 percent in the second half and still won by 25 points.
Xavier Fuller led the Lumberjacks (2-4) with 15 points. No other player had more than six points for Northern Arizona, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
The Longhorns climbed from 11th to fourth in this week’s Associated Press poll after beating then-No. 2 Gonzaga on Nov. 16. They were in charge nearly from the start on Monday, bursting away from a 14-8 lead by scoring 27 of the ensuing 30 points to go up by 41-11 after a layup by Carr with 4:11 to play.
Texas held a 50-22 advantage at the break. The Longhorns outshot Northern Arizona 65.6 percent to 30.4 percent before halftime, had 18 rebounds to 13 for the Lumberjacks. Overall, Texas forced 21 turnovers that led to 34 points and enjoyed a 40-14 edge in points in the paint.
The Lumberjacks will remain in Edinburg for a contest against UT Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday. The Longhorns return home to oppose UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday.
–Field Level Media