No. 10 Longhorns Comeback Kings Again in Win vs. Texas Tech
AUSTIN -- The first half hasn't been kind to the No. 10 Texas Longhorns to begin Big 12 play.
The Longhorns have headed into halftime on the wrong end of the scoreboard in four of five conference games this season. This included Saturday's matchup with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who came into Austin with a purpose despite being 0-4 in conference play.
Tech had steady control over the No. 10 team in the country during the first 20 minutes, taking a 34-25 lead headed into halftime. But much like they did in Wednesday's win over the TCU Horned Frogs, the Longhorns overcame a double-digit deficit to pull away with a tight 72-70 win over the Red Raiders.
Saturday's 12-point comeback technically isn't as impressive as the 18-point rally the Longhorns had in the TCU win, but the emotions in the Moody Center were undeniably heightened due to the rivalry and steady presence of Tech fans in the stands, making a second straight comeback far from easy.
"Obviously we're not trying to get off to bad starts," Texas guard Marcus Carr said. "We're gonna have to work on that going forward. ... On the road, you can't really dig yourself in a hole."
Carr finished with a team-high 20 points and made some critical assists late that helped seal the win, as he found Brock Cunningham for a game-changing triple in the final minute before connecting with Timmy Allen on the fast-break. Allen was fouled and hit the free throw, as Carr had secured the win with his passing.
But while the first-half deficits are hardly his goal, Carr likes the response the team has shown despite less-than-ideal starts.
"I do like the fact that we're able to fight and still be resilient," he said. "It's good to see that our vets and our young guys are able to respond in those situations."
Twenty-five points marked a season-low mark for the Longhorns despite going up against a Tech defense that gave up its season-high point total on Tuesday in a 84-50 loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.
But this hardly deterred the Longhorns, who shot 51.9 percent in the second half while holding the Red Raiders to 34.5 percent.
While comebacks certainly excel at providing the thrill factor, the Longhorns will need to start building some first-half leads as Big 12 play continues. Lightning won't keep striking in arguably the best conference in college basketball.
The Longhorns will have a chance to finally build some consistency in the first half when they visit the No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones (13-3) in Ames on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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