Longhorns pull away late for upset of No. 3 Sooners

By foxsports
Published

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Isaiah Taylor scored 18 points and No. 25 Texas overwhelmed Oklahoma over the final 7 minutes to beat the third-ranked Sooners 76-63 on Saturday.

Texas trailed 58-51 before Taylor converted a three-point play to start a 25-5 run down the stretch.

Buddy Hield, a leading candidate for national player of the year, scored 33 points for Oklahoma.

Connor Lammert and Javan Felix scored 14 points each for Texas (19-10, 10-6 Big 12).

Hield reached 30 points for the ninth time this season but faded badly like the rest of his teammates down the stretch. He missed a wide-open 3-pointer before Lammert made one to get Texas within 58-57 as the Longhorns' run really got rolling. Hield then missed another as the Longhorns broke the game open.

Oklahoma (22-6, 10-6) went nearly 7 minutes without scoring as the Texas run cranked up. Hield didn't break the Oklahoma scoring drought until making a 3-pointer in the final minute.

Hield beat Texas in the first matchup with a 3-pointer in the final seconds and lit up the Longhorns again with 23 points in a wide open first half.

Hield scored from everywhere. His opening basket was a twisting, baseline drive for a layup, and followed that with four 3-pointers and a dunk of an alley-oop pass. Several times Texas tried to switch defenders on Hield, which left him with several easy looks from long range. He was on pace to match his career-high of 46 points scored in Oklahoma's triple-overtime loss to Kansas in January.

But even with Hield on a torrid pace, the Longhorns kept up with the Sooners at nearly every turn in the half. The Longhorns shot 50 percent in the first half and Taylor's layup in the final seconds pulled Texas within 40-37.

Jordan Woodard made two 3-pointers for Oklahoma early in the second half and Hield managed just one shot -- a made 3-pointer -- over the first 8 minutes of the second as scoring by both teams tapered off. Hield's 3-pointer put the Sooners up 52-45 but the Longhorns kept counterpunching to keep Oklahoma from pulling away.

Texas finally took the lead when Hield and the Sooners went cold.

Hield missed a potential dagger of a 3-point attempt and Lammert answered on the other end with a 3-pointer from the right wing. Taylor then put in two free throws, Prince Ibeh got a tip-in and Felix drove in for a twisting layup to cap a 9-0 run that put the Longhorns ahead 63-58 with 3:17 to play.

TIP-INS

Oklahoma: Hield, the national leader in 3-pointers made per game, made six against Texas and needs four more to set the Big 12 season record.

Texas: The Longhorns countered Hield's big game with better balance. Texas had five players score in double figures with Kerwin Roach, Jr., scoring 12 and Eric Davis Jr., adding 10. ... Texas outrebounded Oklahoma 43-31,

UP NEXT

Oklahoma hosts No. 19 Baylor on Tuesday

Texas hosts No. 2 Kansas on Monday