A quick start from Texas basketball in its 91-67 win over New Mexico State on Thursday at the Moody Center, it more than quickly dashed the visiting Aggies’ upset hopes.
It also provided a quick balm for the sting that still lingered at home from Sunday. loss to Connecticut. Texas sleepwalked through the first half of a discouraging 76-65 victory over the two-time defending national champions, but the Longhorns (8-2) applied lessons learned from some tough practices to pull out a win over a team from the New Mexico State (4-6). ) this could be a factor in the Conference USA race.
“We spent two days working hard to play with urgency, with purpose,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said. “I thought our guys came out tonight with a great effort and really set the tone early on defense and shared the ball, moved the ball and did a good job tonight.”
Tramon Mark Quick Start Keys
Texas played arguably its best half of the season while opening a 50-25 lead at the break. The Longhorns shot 63 percent from the floor in the first half, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Better yet for a team that relied heavily on scoring from a first-year goalie Tre Johnson and senior forward Arthur Kaluma, Texas, got plenty of production from new sources.
Tramon Mark, a transfer from Arkansas who has struggled to find his rhythm since returning from a preseason ankle injury six games ago, exploded from the start with eight of the team’s first 10 points. his team and finished with 14 points. Ze’Rik Onyema had eight of his 10 points at the break after scoring a total of 10 points in his previous six games. Guard Jordan Pope — one of the Pac-12’s leading scorers at Oregon State last season at 17.6 points per game — reached double figures with 10 points for just the fourth time this season.
Hell, even freshman Nic Codie got into the scorebook with four points, including a baseline dunk in the first half for his first basket as a Longhorn.
Kaluma still led Texas with 18 points and tied Mark for team honors in rebounds with eight. The Longhorns could afford a quiet night from Johnson, the team’s leading scorer who had a season-low nine points.
New Mexico State: Aggies can’t build on weekend momentum
While Texas caught fire early on, New Mexico State still seemed caught up in Saturday’s stirring 89-83 win over rival New Mexico, at least in the first half.
But New Mexico State coach Jason Hooten had no patience for that theory.
“I’m not an excuse-maker, and this is unacceptable,” he said. “I mean, how many kids can actually play at the University of Texas? You know, on a stage like this, you have to be ready to perform.
But Hooten, a Texas native who grew up in Killeen and spent three decades coaching in his home state, also tried to put into context the emotional toll of the Aggies’ rivalry with New Mexico.
“That game in New Mexico, I can’t really explain it to you,” he said. “I grew up in Texas. Half of my family was Aggies and half of my family was Longhorns. And I understand all of that, but you don’t understand that the rivalry between New Mexico and New Mexico State is far bigger than that, and that’s because there is no professional teams, there is nothing else in the state of New Mexico than these two universities. There are people, they live for this victory.
Senior guard Christian Cook scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting, but the other Aggies combined to shoot just 16-of-40 from the floor.
Hooten had a large support section in the stands. Hooten built quite the coaching legacy in his home state, including stints as an assistant at his alma mater of Tarleton State as well as Sam Houston State. He took over the Sam Houston State program as head coach in 2010 and became the Bearkats’ all-time leader in coaching wins before embarking on New State’s rebuilding effort. -Mexico last season.
The return to Texas included a reunion with Terry, who has been one of Hooten’s close friends since the two clashed in high school.
“Rodney and I are best friends, so it was a tough match to play,” he said. “I mean, we didn’t really want to fight each other. We always said we wouldn’t do it. And then he got to a point where he desperately needed to find one more match. And you know, we were desperate. We needed this game financially.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas vs. NMSU score: Horns overtake Aggies
