'One of Those Nights': Longhorns' Tyrese Hunter Lights Up Gonzaga in Blowout Win
AUSTIN -- What a difference a year makes.
The No. 11 Texas Longhorns hosted the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Moody Center Wednesday, but did what they couldn't last year and did so in dominating fashion. Texas routed the Zags 93-74 to move to 3-0 while securing the biggest win of the Chris Beard era.
And without the scorching shooting of guard Tyrese Hunter, the Longhorns could have found themselves in a close fight. But it's clear Hunter had a blowout on his mind.
"When I came off the pick I wasn't gonna shoot it, but I just shot it, it went in and I was like 'It's gonna be one of those nights,'" Hunter said of one his two first-half 3-pointers.
Hunter finished with a career-high 26 points while going 5 of 8 from deep. He added three rebounds and two assists.
Chris Beard brought Hunter to Texas for games like this. One of only two transfers for the team this offseason, Hunter came to Austin after winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year with the Iowa State Cyclones.
Hunter's final game as a Cyclone showed what he could do as a shooter. He dropped 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting from deep against the LSU Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament. But it's hard to imagine anyone saw what came Wednesday.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few even found himself a bit dumbfounded by Hunter's performance.
"Tyrese was really feeling it," Few said. "I mean, we knew he could shoot them, but not from 30 feet or whatever."
Hunter limped off late in the first half and had to be helped back to the tunnel, but made his way back to the bench a few minutes. A 30-point performance against the No. 2 team in the country was well within his range.
"When I started cramping," Hunter said jokingly when asked when he really started to feel it.
Hunter shot the lights out against one of the toughest teams Texas will face all season. And if the Horns want to reach their championship-level goals, they'll need him to keep letting it fly.
Texas takes on Northern Arizona on Monday in Edinburg, TX at 7:30 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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