Longhorns Breeze Past Houston Christian, Get Set for Bout with No. 2 Gonzaga
AUSTIN — The No. 12 Texas Longhorns look ready for one of the biggest games of their season.
Ahead of a pivotal non-conference home matchup with the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Wednesday, the Longhorns first had some business to handle against the Houston Christian Huskies at Moody Center Thursday night.
And even despite some ice-cold shooting from deep and hiccups on offense, the Longhorns (2-0) dominated on the defensive end en route to a 82-31 win over the Huskies (0-2).
The Longhorns were an abysmal 3 of 22 from deep. Their first 3-point make didn't come until the 13-minute mark of the second half, as Sir'Jabari Rice finally broke the cold spell. However, 15 first-half turnovers by the Huskies -- who finished with 21 total giveaways for the game -- made the contest over before it began.
“We want to be the top defensive team in the country,” freshman Dillon Mitchell said. “So making turnovers into points for us is a big part just to get out and run.”
The Longhorns can easily check that off the list, as they outscored the Huskies 27-0 in fast-break points.
Led by the highlight-reel Mitchell, Texas commanded the glass to the tune of 21 offensive rebounds. Mitchell had eight of these on his own, as he finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and a block.
Texas had five other players reach double figures in scoring led by Marcus Carr (11 points) and Rice (11 points) while Tyrese Hunter (10 points, seven rebounds), Timmy Allen (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Arterio Morris (10 points, five rebounds) all pitched in as well.
The Huskies were led by forward Tristan Moore, who had eight points and three rebounds off the bench.
The Longhorns quickly jumped out to a 16-0 start. The Huskies didn't buy their first bucket until the 13:17 mark of the first half.
Mitchell had one of Texas' early play-of-the-year candidates at the beginning of the first half. Carr found him on a highlight lob after freezing his defender on what was one of many fast-break opportunities for the Longhorns.
“We want to make that a part of our game,” Mitchell said. “Playing above the rim, making athletic plays … They look for me and we make connections on it.”
Mitchell had a handful of impressive dunks the rest of the way, continuing to show Texas fans why he was so highly-coveted coming out of Montverde Academy based on pure athleticism and energy.
The Longhorns ended the half on a 7-0 run and led 39-12 headed into the locker room. The defensive dominance continued into the second half. The Huskies got the first bucket coming out of the break, but the Horns kept their foot on the break on drives to the paint despite some cold shooting from deep.
Texas built a 59-point lead in the second half and turned the game into shooting practice, consistently getting wide open looks as the Horns blew past Huskie defenders before kicking it out or getting an open look in the lane.
The Longhorns now look toward their non-conference bout with Gonzaga (1-0) on Thursday.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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