Raiders stun Horns on McClung’s clutch shot
AUSTIN — Board man gets paid. That’s the concise and totally on-brand personal slogan disseminated by taciturn NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard. But spring-loaded freshman Greg Brown wants to get paid one day, too. So does the rest of this uber-talented Texas team, the most dangerous one to occupy the Forty Acres since some towering teenage scarecrow named Kevin Durant roamed campus.
No. 4 Texas dominated the rebounding battle in the first half Wednesday against No. 15 Texas Tech inside an empty Erwin Center pumped full of artificial ambiance. But Tech clawed back into the game as the Longhorns’ dominance on the glass faded, pulling out a 79-77 on guard Mac McClung’s last-second jumper, handing Texas its first Big 12 loss of the season.
“The second half, some of it might have been frustration. Some of it might have been a little avoidance,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “But I don’t think we had the same juice we needed to have overall as a team.
The way the Longhorns (10-2, 4-1 Big 12) attacked the glass set the tone early against a Red Raiders team predicated upon physicality and suffocating defense.
Brown channeled some of The Claw’s energy from the opening tip, his 6-foot-9 body soaring over Red Raiders (11-3, 4-2 Big 12) like they were stationary obstacles to be conquered rather than living, moving opponents. Had it not been for two early fouls, the future first-round pick might have eclipsed his previous career-best (14, twice) by intermission.
“You know, when he was in high school, both his dad and myself we would always challenge him to get 20,” Smart said.
But UT still owned the glass early, even with Brown stuck to a seat or staying loose on a sideline exercise bike for all but seven minutes of the first period. Even 6-2, 180pound senior point guard Matt Coleman caught the fever, slipping inside for five first-half rebounds, matching hard-nosed junior wing Brock Cunningham for the team lead.
“Getting lost in rebounding, that’s one thing that I take pride in,” UT senior forward Jericho Sims said.
Usually, when UT combines defensive focus and maniacal rebounding with its dynamic pick-your-own-poison backcourt, there’s almost no stopping it.
Redshirt junior guard Andrew Jones added another remarkable chapter to his storybook return from a leukemia diagnosis. Jones pumped in 18 of Texas’ 48 points in the first half, a season-best mark, including eight straight during a late 10-3 scoring run. But he finished with just 20 and didn’t attempt a field goal over the final 17 minutes.
UT junior guard Courtney Ramey played well for the first 30 minutes, chipping in with a full 15point, four-rebound, four-assist line while playing his usual dogged defense. But a late blunder on an inbounds pass gave the Red Raiders life.
“He’s usually really, really good in that situation,” Smart said. “I think they (Coleman and Ramey) got their wires crossed. We all would love to have that play back. We had timeouts. But you put the ball in those guys’ hands because they make plays.”
Texas just never pulled away during a slugfest of a second half in which it shot 42 percent. And Texas Tech never allowed itself to collapse, with Georgetown transfer McClung erupting for 22 points and closing out the game after his teammates led a charge just after halftime.
Two quick buckets forced Smart to burn a timeout to speak some sense into his sluggish team 96 seconds into the second half. But even a few brief bursts on offense that followed that huddle couldn’t discourage the Red Raiders.
Tech pulled within one a free throw by guard Kevin McCullar with 4:54 remaining. Then Ramey missed a contested but makable transition layup and Red Raiders guard Kyler Edwards drained a 3poiner to take a 71-69 lead, the visitors’ first since the 17:57 mark of the first half.
Texas, though, had been here before. Jones sent the Horns past West Virginia last week with a buzzer-beating 3, and this time Ramey and Brown both hit clutch 3s in the closing minutes to help UT regain a 77-73 lead with 1:42 remaining.
But Tech again had an answer in the form of McClung. After Edwards stole Ramey’s inbounds pass and guard Terrance Shannon converted a layup to tie it at 77, McClung rose up for a deep jumper to stun Texas with three seconds remaining.
“We had this game won,” Ramey said. “And they came back and made more plays than us. It hurts right now, but you have to have that next-game mentality, just be ready to attack our next opponent.”