Bishop leads No. 7 Texas over UT Rio Grande Valley 88-58
AP
Dec 03, 2021
AUSTIN, Texas Longhorns (AP) Texas Rio Grande Valley's Matt Figger has been a college basketball coach for nearly 30 years, so he had an idea about what was coming after his team scored 41 points in the first half against the usually defensive-minded Texas.
He was right. No. 7 Texas limited UTRGV Vaqueros to 17 points in the second half while inducing 14 turnovers, enabling the Longhorns to win easily, 88-58 Friday night.
''We came out and threw some punches,'' Figger said. ''In the second half, they came out and threw some haymakers, and we didn't answer. We were careless and we didn't have enough fight and gumption.''
Christian Bishop, a backup forward who transferred to Texas from Creighton this season, scored 17 points in 14 minutes, making all nine of his free throws.
Timmy Allen and Tre Mitchell scored 13 points each for Texas, with Mitchell adding five rebounds and five assists.
Freshman RayQuan Taylor led UTRGV with 15 points, and Justin Johnson scored 12.
UTRGV (4-5) trailed 46-41 after shooting 53.6% in the first half and making a 9-0 sprint late in the period. Taylor scored 11 points in the half, six more than his average per game. Mike Adewunmi, a graduate student playing at his fourth school, scored 10 points by midway through the half, surpassing his average per game of 8.5.
Texas (6-1) broke away with a 19-0 push that began four minutes into the second half. UTRGV committed six turnovers against suffocating defensive pressure during the first 4:23 of the second half, enabling Texas to open a 21-point lead in the first six minutes.
The Longhorns made eight steals in the second half, including two by Mitchell, UTRGV shot 31.6%.
''We came in at halftime and had to figure out what our identity was,'' Bishop said. ''We finally showed what we can do. We just have to do it for 40 minutes. You can't have four people playing defense. It's five guys, working on a string together.''
BIG PICTURE
UTRGV: Johnson brought a scoring average of nearly 21 points per game to the matchup. He scored 28 during a 94-85 loss at then-No. 14 Illinois. Several Longhorns alternated guarding Johnson, making him work hard for shots. Johnson missed on eight of his first nine shots, finishing 3 for 11. ''He missed some shots tonight, so some of it was fortunate,'' Texas coach Chris Beard said. ''But I think you gotta give our guys credit.''
Texas: The Longhorns finally play their second game of the season against an opponent in the AP Top 25 when they visit No. 25 Seton Hall on Thursday, providing the Pirates remain ranked. The Longhorns' first game against a ranked team resulted in a 86-74 loss at then-No. 1 Gonzaga on Nov. 13. Texas has indulged in an extended holiday feast of mid-majors and other schools not from the power six conferences.
SHOOTING STARS
Texas shot 51%, converting 10 of 24 3-pointers. Seven Longhorns made 3-point baskets, including two apiece by Jase Febres and Andrew Jones.
Bishop has hit 22 of 27 free throws (81.5%) this season after converting 54.9% in three years at Creighton. Bishop said he hasn't changed anything about his stroke. ''Just repetition,'' Bishop said.
NEXT UP
UTRGV is at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday.
Texas is at No. 25 Seton Hall on Thursday.
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1st Half
UTRGV
Vaqueros
41
TEX
Longhorns
46
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Donte Houston Jr. vs. Tre Mitchell (Timmy Allen gains possession)
19:44
+2
Timmy Allen makes two point layup (Tre Mitchell assists)
0-2
19:25
+2
Donte Houston Jr. makes two point layup
2-2
19:14
Donte Houston Jr. personal foul (Tre Mitchell draws the foul)
18:52
Courtney Ramey misses three point jump shot
18:50
Jase Febres offensive rebound
18:39
Marcus Carr misses two point jump shot
18:37
Tre Mitchell offensive rebound
18:33
+2
Tre Mitchell makes two point putback layup
2-4
18:11
Ricky Nelson turnover (bad pass) (Marcus Carr steals)
18:01
+3
Tre Mitchell makes three point jump shot (Timmy Allen assists)
2-7
17:45
+2
Mike Adewunmi makes two point floating jump shot
4-7
17:33
Jase Febres misses three point jump shot
17:31
RayQuan Taylor defensive rebound
17:14
Courtney Ramey blocks Ricky Nelson's two point layup
17:12
Courtney Ramey defensive rebound
17:11
Mike Adewunmi personal foul (Courtney Ramey draws the foul)
16:54
+3
Marcus Carr makes three point jump shot (Tre Mitchell assists)
4-10
16:35
+2
RayQuan Taylor makes two point hook shot
6-10
16:25
+3
Jase Febres makes three point jump shot (Tre Mitchell assists)
6-13
16:04
LaQuan Butler misses two point layup
16:02
Tre Mitchell defensive rebound
15:56
Tre Mitchell misses three point jump shot
15:54
Justin Johnson defensive rebound
15:41
+2
Ricky Nelson makes two point jump shot (Justin Johnson assists)
8-13
15:28
+3
Courtney Ramey makes three point jump shot (Tre Mitchell assists)
8-16
15:20
Jase Febres personal foul (Justin Johnson draws the foul)
15:20
TV timeout
15:20
Justin Johnson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
15:20
+1
Justin Johnson makes regular free throw 2 of 2
9-16
15:11
+2
Christian Bishop makes two point layup (Marcus Carr assists)
9-18
14:54
Justin Johnson turnover (out of bounds)
14:46
+3
Andrew Jones makes three point jump shot (Marcus Carr assists)
9-21
14:28
Xavier Johnson offensive foul (Courtney Ramey draws the foul)
14:28
Xavier Johnson turnover
14:16
Andrew Jones turnover (lost ball)
13:56
+3
RayQuan Taylor makes three point jump shot (Mike Adewunmi assists)
12-21
13:34
Devin Askew misses three point jump shot
13:32
Mike Adewunmi defensive rebound
13:16
RayQuan Taylor turnover (lost ball) (Christian Bishop steals)
13:08
+2
Marcus Carr makes two point layup (Devin Askew assists)
12-23
12:53
Brock Cunningham personal foul (Mike Adewunmi draws the foul)
12:53
+1
Mike Adewunmi makes regular free throw 1 of 2
13-23
12:53
+1
Mike Adewunmi makes regular free throw 2 of 2
14-23
12:36
Devin Askew offensive foul (Donte Houston Jr. draws the foul)
12:36
Devin Askew turnover
12:18
Jump ball. Justin Johnson vs. Andrew Jones (Justin Johnson gains possession)
12:12
Ricky Nelson misses two point jump shot
12:10
Marcus Carr defensive rebound
12:05
Andrew Jones misses two point jump shot
12:03
Mike Adewunmi defensive rebound
11:40
Mike Adewunmi misses three point jump shot
11:38
Timmy Allen defensive rebound
11:25
Donte Houston Jr. personal foul (Marcus Carr draws the foul)
11:25
TV timeout
11:09
+2
Marcus Carr makes two point driving layup
14-25
10:45
+3
Mike Adewunmi makes three point step back jump shot
17-25
10:35
Marcus Carr misses three point jump shot
10:33
Timmy Allen offensive rebound
10:27
+2
Tre Mitchell makes two point jump shot
17-27
10:09
+2
LaQuan Butler makes two point driving layup
19-27
9:57
Timmy Allen turnover (bad pass)
9:41
Mike Adewunmi misses two point layup
9:40
Mike Adewunmi offensive rebound
9:40
+2
Mike Adewunmi makes two point tip shot
21-27
9:40
Timmy Allen shooting foul (Mike Adewunmi draws the foul)
9:40
+1
Mike Adewunmi makes regular free throw 1 of 1
22-27
9:20
Mike Adewunmi blocks Christian Bishop's two point layup
9:18
Brock Cunningham offensive rebound
9:15
Justin Johnson shooting foul (Christian Bishop draws the foul)
9:15
+1
Christian Bishop makes regular free throw 1 of 2
22-28
9:15
+1
Christian Bishop makes regular free throw 2 of 2
22-29
8:57
Jeff Otchere turnover (lost ball) (Andrew Jones steals)
8:55
Mike Adewunmi blocks Andrew Jones's two point dunk
8:53
Longhorns offensive rebound
8:37
+3
Brock Cunningham makes three point jump shot (Jaylon Tyson assists)
22-32
8:10
Jase Febres blocks Justin Johnson's two point layup