No. 7 Texas looks to stay dominant as it hosts Grambling
No. 7 Texas Longhorns will look to continue to build on an impressive start to the early season when it squares off against Grambling on Monday in Austin, Texas.
Monday's contest is the third of a three-game homestand for the new-look Longhorns (2-0), who have swamped their first two opponents by a combined 98 points. Texas returns to the floor after a 98-50 walloping of Gardner-Webb on Thursday as seven players, led by Matas Vokietaitis' 16 points, scored in double figures.
Isaiah Johnson added 15 points for Texas in the victory, while Joe Sterling and Marcus Spears Jr. hit for 13 points each, Austin Goosby had 11, and David Punch and Elyjah Freeman contributed 10 points apiece. Texas shot 60.7% from the field for the game and racked up 54 points in the paint.
Vokietaitis, who is Texas' leading returning scorer on a roster that features mostly transfers, also had seven rebounds. The Longhorns followed up a 109-59 win over Chicago State in their season opener on Nov. 2 with another near-complete performance.
Texas coach Sean Miller said his team got what it wanted out of both games.
"One of the things that I liked is that we were really consistent with our effort," Miller explained. "Not perfect, but if you evaluated our defense or our effort level, mid-second half, early first half, late in the game, start of the second half, I feel comfortable saying that I thought we had five guys that are really playing with effort and were unselfish and playing to win."
One of the hallmarks of a great team in today's age of college basketball is a balanced attack that keeps everyone involved and on the same page. While that's easy to accomplish against inferior opponents, Miller said wins and efforts like the ones over the first two games by the Longhorns can carry over to tougher contests.
"The best teams are balanced -- they're not reliant on one player," Miller said. "If you can cultivate that versatility and that depth and that unselfishness, I think that's what takes you the furthest. It isn't always fun. Players have to sacrifice, embrace their role.
"I do believe that we're going to be at our best when guys who don't start the game really come into the game and impact almost as if they are a starter."
Into this gauntlet come the Tigers (1-0), who travel to Austin after a gritty 89-87 win over Northern Illinois on Nov. 2 in Rock Hill, S.C., as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
Isaiah Miranda led Grambling with 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Dwayne Pierce added 19 points, Isaiah Howard scored 13, Mekhi Fitts finished with 12, and Antoine Shannon pitched in 11 points as the Tigers shot 64% from the floor and outscored the Northern Illinois 48-28 in the paint.
After the clash with Texas, Grambling will face another tough test in No. 23 Kentucky on Nov. 16. They are also scheduled to take on No. 2 Duke in December.
"Our big thing this year is to stay process-oriented, making sure we're good to go at the most important time for us and everybody on this level, which is March," Grambling coach Patrick Crarey II said. "Texas might be the best team out of the three. It'll be great environments for our guys. If you want to be the best, you have to play against the best."
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:53 | +3 | Bo Ogden makes three point jump shot | 5-30 | |
| 10:04 | Elyjah Freeman offensive rebound | |||
| 10:04 | +1 | Marcus Spears Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-27 | |
| 10:04 | Mekhi Fitts shooting foul (Marcus Spears Jr. draws the foul) | |||
| 10:04 | Marcus Spears Jr. offensive rebound | |||
| 10:06 | Marcus Spears Jr. misses two point driving layup | |||
| 10:16 | Bo Ogden defensive rebound | |||
| 10:18 | Isaiah Miranda misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
| 10:38 | +2 | Matas Vokietaitis makes two point dunk | 5-26 | |
| 10:46 | Elyjah Freeman defensive rebound | |||
| 10:48 | Antonio Shannon misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
| 10:53 | Antonio Shannon defensive rebound | |||
| 10:55 | Mekhi Fitts blocks Matas Vokietaitis's two point dunk | |||
| 11:01 | Matas Vokietaitis offensive rebound | |||
| 11:03 | Bo Ogden misses three point jump shot | |||
| 11:10 | Isaiah Miranda turnover (bad pass) (Austin Goosby steals) | |||
| 11:24 | +2 | Marcus Spears Jr. makes two point layup | 5-24 | |
| 11:37 | TV timeout | |||
| 11:37 | Longhorns defensive rebound | |||
| 11:40 | Isaiah Miranda misses three point jump shot | |||
| 11:52 | Mekhi Fitts defensive rebound | |||
| 11:54 | Amari Evans misses three point jump shot | |||
| 12:03 | Austin Goosby defensive rebound | |||
| 12:05 | Isaiah Miranda misses three point jump shot | |||
| 12:13 | Antonio Shannon defensive rebound | |||
| 12:15 | Austin Goosby misses three point jump shot | |||
| 12:26 | +2 | Isaiah Miranda makes two point jump shot (Chancellor Perkins assists) | 5-22 | |
| 12:49 | +1 | David Punch makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 3-22 | |
| 12:49 | Dwayne Pierce shooting foul (David Punch draws the foul) | |||
| 12:49 | +2 | David Punch makes two point alley-oop dunk (Joe Sterling assists) | 3-21 | |
| 12:54 | Dwayne Pierce turnover (bad pass) (Joe Sterling steals) | |||
| 13:12 | +3 | Joe Sterling makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Johnson assists) | 3-19 | |
| 13:23 | Dwayne Pierce turnover (bad pass) | |||
| 13:27 | Amari Evans personal foul (Mekhi Fitts draws the foul) | |||
| 13:39 | Tigers 30 second timeout | |||
| 13:42 | +3 | Joe Sterling makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Johnson assists) | 3-16 | |
| 13:49 | Isaiah Johnson defensive rebound | |||
| 13:51 | Dwayne Pierce misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
| 14:04 | +1 | Joe Sterling makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 3-13 | |
| 14:04 | +1 | Joe Sterling makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 3-12 | |
| 14:04 | Joe Sterling misses regular free throw 1 of 3 | |||
| 14:04 | Mekhi Fitts shooting foul (Joe Sterling draws the foul) | |||
| 14:13 | Isaiah Johnson defensive rebound | |||
| 14:15 | Imoh Erims misses three point jump shot | |||
| 14:26 | Joe Sterling personal foul (Imoh Erims draws the foul) | |||
| 14:28 | Marcus Spears Jr. personal foul (Mekhi Fitts draws the foul) | |||
| 14:37 | Imoh Erims defensive rebound | |||
| 14:39 | Matas Vokietaitis misses two point driving layup | |||
| 14:44 | Antonio Shannon turnover (bad pass) (Matas Vokietaitis steals) | |||
| 14:59 | +1 | Amari Evans makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-11 | |
| 14:59 | Amari Evans misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 14:59 | Hassan Washington shooting foul (Amari Evans draws the foul) | |||
| 15:14 | Isaiah Johnson defensive rebound | |||
| 15:16 | Dwayne Pierce misses three point jump shot | |||
| 15:27 | Matas Vokietaitis turnover (lost ball) | |||
| 15:39 | Antoine Shannon personal foul (Matas Vokietaitis draws the foul) | |||
| 15:51 | TV timeout | |||
| 15:51 | Mekhi Fitts turnover (lost ball) (David Punch steals) | |||
| 15:51 | Jump ball. Mekhi Fitts vs. David Punch (Longhorns gains possession) | |||
| 16:09 | +1 | Matas Vokietaitis makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 3-10 | |
| 16:09 | Hassan Washington shooting foul (Matas Vokietaitis draws the foul) | |||
| 16:09 | +2 | Matas Vokietaitis makes two point layup | 3-9 | |
| 16:24 | David Punch defensive rebound | |||
| 16:26 | Mekhi Fitts misses three point jump shot | |||
| 16:37 | Elyjah Freeman turnover (lost ball) (Mekhi Fitts steals) | |||
| 16:37 | Jump ball. Elyjah Freeman vs. Mekhi Fitts (Tigers gains possession) | |||
| 16:40 | Matas Vokietaitis defensive rebound | |||
| 16:42 | David Punch blocks Mekhi Fitts's two point cutting dunk | |||
| 16:57 | +1 | Matas Vokietaitis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-7 | |
| 16:57 | Matas Vokietaitis misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 16:57 | Isaiah Miranda shooting foul (Matas Vokietaitis draws the foul) | |||
| 17:01 | Matas Vokietaitis offensive rebound | |||
| 17:03 | Matas Vokietaitis misses two point driving layup | |||
| 17:16 | +3 | Mekhi Fitts makes three point jump shot (Brandon Hardy assists) | 3-6 | |
| 17:24 | Austin Goosby personal foul (Dwayne Pierce draws the foul) | |||
| 17:37 | +2 | David Punch makes two point turnaround hook shot | 0-6 | |
| 17:59 | David Punch defensive rebound | |||
| 18:01 | Isaiah Miranda misses two point driving bank jump shot | |||
| 18:11 | Mekhi Fitts offensive rebound | |||
| 18:13 | Isaiah Miranda misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
| 18:28 | Antoine Shannon defensive rebound | |||
| 18:28 | Elyjah Freeman misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 18:28 | +1 | Elyjah Freeman makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 0-4 | |
| 18:28 | Brandon Hardy shooting foul (Elyjah Freeman draws the foul) | |||
| 18:33 | Antonio Shannon turnover (bad pass) (David Punch steals) | |||
| 18:47 | David Punch personal foul (Isaiah Miranda draws the foul) | |||
| 18:47 | Isaiah Miranda defensive rebound | |||
| 18:47 | Elyjah Freeman misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 18:47 | Elyjah Freeman misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 18:47 | Isaiah Miranda shooting foul (Elyjah Freeman draws the foul) | |||
| 18:56 | Longhorns offensive rebound | |||
| 18:57 | Brandon Hardy blocks Isaiah Johnson's three point jump shot | |||
| 19:04 | Elyjah Freeman defensive rebound | |||
| 19:06 | Dwayne Pierce misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
| 19:20 | +2 | Elyjah Freeman makes two point dunk (David Punch assists) | 0-3 | |
| 19:28 | Hassan Washington turnover (bad pass) (David Punch steals) | |||
| 19:39 | +1 | Matas Vokietaitis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 0-1 | |
| 19:39 | Matas Vokietaitis misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 19:39 | Isaiah Miranda shooting foul (Matas Vokietaitis draws the foul) | |||
| 20:00 | Isaiah Miranda vs. Matas Vokietaitis (David Punch gains possession) |
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
| |
+ 3 | Bo Ogden makes three point jump shot | 9:53 |
| Elyjah Freeman offensive rebound | 10:04 |
| |
+ 1 | Marcus Spears Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10:04 |
| Mekhi Fitts shooting foul (Marcus Spears Jr. draws the foul) | 10:04 |
| Marcus Spears Jr. offensive rebound | 10:04 |
| Marcus Spears Jr. misses two point driving layup | 10:06 |
| Bo Ogden defensive rebound | 10:16 |
| Isaiah Miranda misses three point pullup jump shot | 10:18 |
| |
+ 2 | Matas Vokietaitis makes two point dunk | 10:38 |
| Elyjah Freeman defensive rebound | 10:46 |
| Antonio Shannon misses three point pullup jump shot | 10:48 |
| Team Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Points | 5 | 30 |
| Field Goals | 2-14 (14.3%) | 9-17 (52.9%) |
| 3-Pointers | 1-9 (11.1%) | 3-7 (42.9%) |
| Free Throws | 0-0 (0.0%) | 9-17 (52.9%) |
| Total Rebounds | 7 | 16 |
| Offensive | 1 | 4 |
| Defensive | 6 | 10 |
| Team | 0 | 2 |
| Assists | 2 | 4 |
| Steals | 1 | 6 |
| Blocks | 2 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 7 | 2 |
| Fouls | 10 | 5 |
| Technicals | 0 | 0 |
|
| Team Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Grambling St. 1-0 | 89.0 PPG | 32.0 RPG | 15.0 APG |
| 7 Texas 2-0 | 103.5 PPG | 42.0 RPG | 19.5 APG |
| Key Players | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
00
|
. Fitts F | 12.0 PPG | 1.0 RPG | 1.0 APG | 100.0 FG% |
|
00
|
. Sterling G | 13.5 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 2.0 APG | 66.7 FG% |
| Top Scorers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Fitts F | 3 PTS | 2 REB | 0 AST | ||
| J. Sterling G | 8 PTS | 0 REB | 1 AST | ||
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| M. Fitts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| I. Miranda | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/6 | 0/4 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Hardy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Perkins | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Pierce | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| M. Fitts | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| I. Miranda | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/6 | 0/4 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Hardy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Perkins | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Pierce | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| I. Erims | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| A. Shannon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| I. Howard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Layton | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Bey | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Barnes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Byrd | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| G. Avramovic | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2/14 | 1/9 | 0/0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| M. Vokietaitis | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2/5 | 0/0 | 3/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| B. Ogden | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| E. Freeman | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| M. Spears Jr. | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Goosby | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| M. Vokietaitis | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2/5 | 0/0 | 3/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| B. Ogden | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| E. Freeman | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| M. Spears Jr. | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Goosby | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Sterling | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Evans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Clark | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. McDermott | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Elkins | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| L. Obiorah | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Laurencikas | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 30 | 14 | 4 | 9/17 | 3/7 | 9/17 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 |