Horns get even in Lubbock
LUBBOCK — The scarlet sea stood still. After two hours of swaying, screaming and dousing Texas in jeers, the Red Raiders’ horde had little left to say.
Royce Hamm was the silencer. The junior forward’s crowd muzzle came courtesy of a soaring putback layup with 50 seconds remaining. It was a soul-sapping blow in a fierce Saturday melee between Texas and Texas Tech.
“I saw Courtney (Ramey) shoot a little one-footed floater, so my mindset was just attack the glass,” Hamm said. “Happily, the ball bounced off at the right time, right place and I was able to put it in.”
Texas (18-11, 8-8 Big 12) emerged Saturday from the ravenous United Supermarkets Arena with another season-saving win. Its 68-58 triumph over No. 22 Texas Tech (18-11, 9-7) marked the program’s fourth straight win and second consecutive over a ranked foe.
The Longhorns have radiated a necessary desperation in the four games since a stunning flop against Iowa State. He’s denied it, but the players seem to have taken their cue from coach Shaka Smart.
For the second time in as many games, Smart was handed a technical. That came on the heels of an official warning. Even after that, he was a sideline bolt of lightning, a one-man reel of fist pumps and roars and floor slapping.
“It’s really more about them,” Smart said. “They’ve given me energy. They’ve given our staff energy. Really proud of the fact that our guys haven’t flinched when we’ve had adversity. We’ve had injuries, games that didn’t go our way. The last game at our place against Tech was just an unbelievable gutpunch.” The Longhorns repaid that favor Saturday. It just took some time for them to settle down.
In front of an ocean of signs mocking the Longhorns’ recent NIT title and history of sad home crowds, the Longhorns were slow to start. The offense was anemic — though so was Tech’s.
A nasty chase-down block by Hamm on senior guard Chris Clarke was the catalyst.
“We did start off a little sloppy and slow,” redshirt freshman wing Brock Cunningham said. “But once we got a feel for the game and our guys started to gain confidence through shots, defense and rebounding it was just a snowball effect for the rest of the game.”
The Red Raiders gave space around the arc to Cunningham, a non-shooting defensive maven with seven career points, and he made them regret it by burying two 3-pointers in a 90-second span. He finished with a career-high eight points and five rebounds and hounded Tech leading scorer Jahmi’us Ramsey, who had 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
But redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Jones carried the Longhorns on a day fellow backcourt starters Matt Coleman and Courtney Ramey struggled to find a rhythm.
Jones kept the Longhorns close with 14 first-half points and finished with a careerhigh 22.
The Longhorns’ early sixpoint lead was short-lived, though. Smart’s technical — he was heated after a no-call on freshman Donovan Williams’ dunk attempt — sparked the crowd, and the game pivoted in Tech’s favor.
It closed on a 14-4 run to take a 37-30 lead into the half. So the Longhorns readjusted.
Texas moved away from its reliance on 3s and started to attack. Jones, Ramey and Coleman probed for weaknesses inside, and Hamm showcased some dazzling dribble-drive attacks, post spins and a silky touch.
After hitting seven 3s in the first 20 minutes, UT’s first 10 points of the half came at the free-throw line or inside the arc.
“They lost themselves,” Smart said. “When you half self-pity or selfish intent or you get bored, any of those three things, you can’t be aggressive. You can’t be on the attack. That’s affected us at times. Our guys have taken ownership of it ever since we came back from Iowa State.”
The teams traded buckets and leads down the stretch. But Texas made the more heroic shots.
Hamm (nine points, six rebounds) devoured an offensive rebound, navigated through a thicket of bodies and found Cunningham for a baseline reverse near the half’s midway point. Jones sized up a defender, took two dribbles and splashed a go-ahead 3 with seven minutes left. Texas later went up five when Ramey rescued a lost possession with an off-balance buzzer-beater from the left wing.
Following the game, Smart joked with assistant Luke Yaklich about “needing a nap.”
After another energy-expending upset, he deserves it.