Longhorns Collapse in Second Half, Suffer Crushing Loss to UCF
AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns have suffered another tough loss to begin Big 12 play, but this one might be the worst yet.
The Longhorns (12-5) hosted the UCF Knights (11-5) at the Moody Center on Wednesday and looked like they were on their way to a solid win after leading by 15 with 14:30 left in the second half.
Instead, the Big 12 newbies stunned the defending conference tournament champions, as Jaylin Sellers scored a game-high 24 points off the bench to give UCF a 77-71 comeback win over Texas. The Longhorns fall to 1-3 in Big 12 play and are currently the second-worst team in the conference based on record.
© Mikala Compton, Austin American-Statesman
After going scoreless for three straight games, Texas guard and UCF transfer Ithiel Horton posted a team-high 20 points against his former team. The Longhorns also got double-digit scoring efforts from Dillon Mitchell (15 points, nine rebounds) and Max Abmas (15 points).
The Longhorns led 44-32 headed into halftime but UCF started matching punches coming out of the locker room thanks to Allen and some hot 3-point shooting from the Knights. UCF took its first lead of the second half at the 7:21 mark before the two teams went back-and forth over the next few minutes.
Texas eventually had a four-minute scoring drought in the final frame after a triple from Abmas gave the Longhorns a 68-67 lead with 4:29 left. They didn't score again until another 3-pointer from Abmas with 17 seconds remaining.
The Longhorns now face a major uphill climb to make the NCAA Tournament based on how they've started conference play. Things won't get easier ahead of five straight ranked matchups, starting with Saturday's meeting at home against No. 9 Baylor.
