Sixteen unanswered points from the Longhorns midway through the first half blew Saturday’s game against Ole Miss wide open. Following a triple and a paint jumper from Tramon Mark, Texas held an 18-point lead over the Rebels with 7:21 to play before halftime.
That lead was down to 12 when the buzzer sounded on the first half. Less than 8 minutes into the second half, the lead had become a 2-point deficit. Ole Miss was dead in the water until it wasn’t. A triple from Ilias Kamardine with 10:41 to play in the game put the Rebels up by 3.
Texas had lost all momentum. Though staggering, the Longhorns never hit the mat. Instead, they closed the game on a 14-0 run to win 79-68 and capture a third consecutive victory.
Matas Vokietaitis scored a game-high 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead the Longhorns across the finish line. Mark added 19 on 8-of-14 shooting. Jordan Pope shook off a slow start and scored 6 of his 13 in the final 4 minutes.
Texas shot 53% from the field as a team while holding Ole Miss to 41% shooting. The Rebels missed each of their last 7 shot attempts in the game.
Eduardo Klafke had 16 to lead the Rebels, who have now lost 5 straight. Three others scored in double-digits.
Ole Miss (11-12, 3-7 SEC) hosts Alabama next Wednesday.
Texas (15-9, 6-5) meets Mizzou in Columbia.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
