© Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY
Longhorns Lead Miami at Halftime in Elite 8 Behind 7 First-Half Triples
KANSAS CITY, MO. - The Texas Longhorns found themselves in a dog fight in the first of Sunday's Elite Eight matchup against the Miami Hurricanes at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, but used seven first-half triples and 10 points from forward Timmy Allen to take a 45-37 lead headed into halftime.
Texas was led by Allen's 10 along with 10 more from guard Marcus Carr. Sir'Jabari Rice (eight points), Brock Cunningham (seven points, six rebounds) and Arterio Morris (six points) all came off the bench with huge contributions in the first half, resulting in 21 bench points for the Horns.
Longhorns guard Tyrese Hunter went scoreless through the first 20 minutes, but finished the first half with five assists.
Miami guard/forward Jordan Miller was electric in the first 20 minutes, posting a first-half high 13 points while guards Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar had seven points apiece. Canes forward Norchad Omier totaled six points and four rebounds in an impressive effort down low.
After hitting seven 3s in the win over Xavier in the Sweet 16, the Longhorns went 7 of 13 from deep in the first half against Miami.
The Hurricanes got off to a quick start with three easy drives to the rim to take an early 7-0 lead, as Miller already have five points for the Canes.
But the Texas defense stood strong, causing multiple misses at the rim in the handful of possessions to follow. This helped spark a 11-2 run, which was highlighted by a catch-and-shoot triple and one-dribble jumper from Rice. The Longhorns had taken an 11-9 lead with 14 minutes to play.
Rice kept up his hot start with another calm-looking triple to give him eight early points. Miller answered with another strong drive to the rim for two points, but Brock Cunningham followed this up with a 3 of his own, as Texas built a 17-13 lead.
Omier had six straight points for the Canes in about a two-minute span, but Carr had two quick triples, giving Texas its fifth make from deep before the seven-minute mark.
Then, Allen started to take over.
After Carr's 3, Allen scored the next eight points for the Longhorns, getting to his spots in the mid-range and inside, pounding his chest in the process.
Miller stayed busy though, finding Wooga Poplar for a corner triple before punishing his way to the rim once again for his 12th and 13th point of the first half.
But then Morris, who had gone scoreless in the first three games of the tournament, came off the bench and hit back-to-back triples to give Texas a 39-35 with 1:18 to play in the half.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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