No. 10 Longhorns Claw Back in 2nd Half, Top No. 17 TCU
AUSTIN -- The No. 10 Texas Longhorns have felt the grit and competitiveness of the Big 12 early and often this season.
But Wednesday's meeting with the No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs at the Moody Center might've been their toughest - and most exciting - test yet.
Despite trailing by as many as 18 in the first half, the Longhorns battled back to tie the game in the final minutes after some entertaining back-and-forth offense from both teams. But it was a late triple from Texas guard Marcus Carr with under a minute left that made all the difference, as it gave the Horns their first lead of the second half and, eventually, a 79-75 win.
Texas was led by Timmy Allen (17 points), Sir'Jabari Rice (15 points, six rebounds) and Carr (11 points, five rebounds and seven assists) while Dylan Disu set the tone for the second-half comeback with 14 points on 7 of 7 shooting and three blocks.
TCU was sparked by a game-high 21 points from Emanuel Miller, while Mike Miles Jr. (16 points) and Damion Baugh (nine points, five rebounds, 10 assists) caused problems for Texas' defense all night.
In the first half, the Longhorns struggled with turnovers and allowed numerous transition opportunities for the Frogs. Texas had a 7-0 run right before the end of the half after trailing by 18, but Eddie Lampkin Jr. got a late layup to give the Frogs a 42-29 lead and momentum headed into halftime.
But new half meant new Longhorns, as Texas came out of the locker room with a purpose. After going 2 of 14 from deep in the first half, the Longhorns shifted focus toward interior scoring, evident by them going just 2 of 2 in the second half.
Texas used a 9-0 run to cut TCU's lead to 63-61 with seven minutes left after trailing by 10 just three minutes before.
The spurt was highlighted by strong interior defense and aggressive finishing from Disu. He had eight points in less than three minutes to bring the Horns back before Rice finally tied it at 67-67 following a pair of free throws.
But the Frogs weren't done. Miller and Miles Jr. hit back-to-back jumpers that were answered with two points apiece from Carr and Disu.
The excitement then seemingly kept building as the closing stages approached.
With under a minute left, Carr hit a huge triple to give Texas its first lead of the second half at 76-73, but Miller got fouled while hitting a floater, giving the Frogs a chance to tie.
But when he missed the free throw, the Longhorns once again relied on Rice to close the game out. He snagged a huge offensive rebound and was fouled, hitting both free throws to give Texas a 78-75 lead. He added one more for good measure with a second left.
Texas now moves to 14-2 this season and 3-1 in Big 12 play. The Longhorns will host the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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