Longhorns Survive Penn State, Advance to Sweet 16 Behind 28 Points from Dylan Disu
DES MOINES, IOWA - For the first time since 2008, the Texas Longhorns are headed to the Sweet 16.
After battling with the 10th-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions all game in Saturday's matchup in the Round of 32 at Wells Fargo Arena, the second-seeded Longhorns used the heroics of forward Dylan Disu to claw past Penn State for a 71-66 win.
Disu was dominant from start to finish, but hit five of Texas' last six field goals to secure the win. The Longhorns trailed 58-55 with 4:50 left before he took over to finish with 28 points on 14 of 20 shooting and 10 rebounds. Sir'Jabari Rice added 13 points while Marcus Carr finished with 10 points.
"I think it starts with the habits we build daily," Texas forward Timmy Allen said. "The league we play in, the best league in the country. We've been battle tested time and time again. This was nothing new."
Allen played a pivotal role in the win. While also being the primary defender on All-American guard Jalen Pickett - who finished with a season-low one assist and tied a season-high with seven turnovers - Allen finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and three assists.
The Nittany Lions had five players reach double digits in scoring, led by guard Camren Wynter with 16 points.
Pickett added 11 points and 10 rebounds while guards Andrew Funk (12 points) and Seth Lundy (11 points) turned in solid contributions. Myles Dread provided 12 big points off the bench as well.
But the Penn State defense was left rather helpless against Disu on his incredible night.
"We've never played against a big man with that type of touch," Lundy said of Texas Longhorns forward Dylan Disu. "I don't remember him missing one floater."
For two teams that hit 13 triples apiece in their opening-round matchups, the offense was no where to be found in the first few minutes on Saturday.
Through the first 10 minutes, Texas led a low-scoring game 11-9, as both teams went a combined 9 of 33 shooting from the field.
But the Longhorns had established their offensive solution.
Disu, who has been on a scoring tear since the Big 12 Tournament, opened up as the clear No. 1 option for Texas before finishing the first half with a game-high 12 points.
Disu remained the go-to offensive option for Texas coming out of the locker room, scoring six points in the opening handful of minutes. The Longhorns had built an 11-point lead at 39-28.
But Funk, who had gone scoreless in the first half, came out hot. He hit a pair of triples and got free for a reverse layup, which helped spark an 11-4 run for Penn State to cut Texas' lead to 43-39.
From here, the two sides traded some quick punches with 17 combined points in less than two minutes.
Lundy hit a triple from the top of the key that Allen answered by scoring on Pickett deep in the post. Funk responded with a mid-range jumper off the dribble before Rice, who had been 0 of 4 from deep, confidently nailed a corner triple on the ensuing possession to give Texas a 55-48 lead with 7:58 left.
But the Nittany Lions changed the energy in the arena after getting a major momentum swing from Dread, who nailed back-to-back triples to help give the Nittany Lions the lead at 58-55 with about five minutes left.
Penn State had suddenly took control after a 10-0 run.
But Disu re-claimed the offensive ropes and dominated in the final frame, igniting the Longhorns' 10-0 run of their own. He had six quick points to put Texas back in front at 61-58 after hitting a turnaround jumper in the post to beat the shot clock before nailing another floater to give the Longhorns a 65-58 lead with under a minute left.
This run essentially ended the hopes for the Nittany Lions, as Disu had sealed the deal.
The Longhorns will now head to Kansas City, where they will await the winner of Xavier-Pittsburgh.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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