KU basketball rallies from halftime deficit, pulls away from Texas Longhorns in Austin
No. 6 Kansas picked up its second road win in a week — and its inside play can be thanked for that.
Udoka Azubuike had 17 points, and the Jayhawks dominated the paint in the second half while pulling away for a 66-57 victory over Texas Saturday afternoon at the Erwin Center.
“For Doke to get cooking, he needs to catch it at two feet. He caught a couple at two feet that he could dunk (second half),” KU coach Bill Self said. “Maybe that gave him some confidence.”
KU, after trailing by five at halftime, went immediately to Azubuike in the second half. He had 10 of the team’s first 12 points out of the break and finished 7-for-9 from the floor with nine rebounds in 35 minutes.
“It was an emphasis to get him the ball in the first half too,” Self said. “We just didn’t do it very well.”
The Jayhawks’ guards also made some clutch plays late. Marcus Garrett had a driving layup to break a tie at the 4:40 mark, then had an and-one on the next possession to help push the Jayhawks’ advantage to five.
Point guard Devon Dotson returned to KU’s starting lineup and didn’t appear affected too much by a lingering hip pointer injury. He scored 21 points with 8-for-9 shooting at the free throw line, while also going 4-for-4 from the stripe in the final minute.
“Their guards outplayed our guards today,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said.
Dotson sat out KU’s previous game against Oklahoma with that hip issue. Self had labeled Dotson earlier in the week as a gametime decision.
“It was fun playing out there and getting back into the swing of things,” Dotson said. “When I know that I’m out there and playing, I know there’s no excuses when I play, however I’m feeling.”
Texas took a 31-26 halftime lead with help from excellent defense.
KU (14-3, 4-1 Big 12) managed just four shots at the rim and one three-pointer in the game’s opening 20 minutes, with new Texas defensive coordinator Luke Yaklich working his specialty: forcing opponents into tough shots in the mid-range.
The Jayhawks didn’t initially take advantage of their strength inside. Though the Longhorns (12-5, 2-3) entered as one of the Big 12’s worst teams on the defensive glass, they held their own early. KU came away with just four offensive rebounds on its 14 first-half misses.
Garrett left the game at the 13:34 mark of the second half after falling hard in the lane when his shot was blocked by Texas’ Jericho Sims. After staying on the ground for a couple minutes, Garrett walked to the locker room under his own power, but later checked back into the lineup after the 12-minute media timeout.
Self said the one of the biggest keys for KU down the stretch was its defense. Texas scored only three points in the final 4 1/2 minutes.
“We made free throws, you don’t turn it over and you get stops,” Self said. “That was kind of what happened with us.”
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 3:16 PM.
