Texas Basketball (13-6, 2-4) picked up their second SEC victory on Tuesday night, defeating the Missouri Tigers 61-53 at Moody Center in Austin. In what amounted to a must-win game for Rodney Terry, his team delivered with solid defense and a gritty second half performance. The Longhorns held Missouri to a season low 53 points and 31.3 percent shooting from the field, with included just 18.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Senior forward Arthur Kaluma registered another double-double, scoring a game-high 14 points and 12 rebounds. His physical presence against the Tigers paid dividends, with Kaluma adding two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in his 33 minutes played.
True freshman Tre Johnson contributed 12 points in the win, reaching double figures in scoring for the 16th time this season.
Following the Tigers’ early 4-1 lead, Texas responded with a 12-4 run over the next five-and-a-half minutes, taking a 13-8 lead thanks to Jordan Pope’s three-pointer with 8:03 remaining. The Longhorns went on to hit back-to-back three-pointers from Arthur Kaluma and Tre Johnson to extend their lead to 30-20 with 1:57 left in the half. Missouri scored five straight points, reducing the deficit to 30-25 after Caleb Grill’s free throws at the 1:00 mark. The Longhorns would take a 32-25 advantage at halftime thanks to Tramon Mark’s dunk with five seconds left.
Kaluma’s free throws gave Texas a 36-32 lead at the 17:01 mark, but the Tigers went on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes, taking a 41-38 lead after Tony Perkins’ three-pointer with 13:58 remaining. Missouri increased their lead to 45-41 after Marcus Allen’s free throws at the 8:43 mark.
Jayson Kent’s layup and Kadin Shedrick’s free throw tied the game at 49-49 at the 4:27 mark. T.O. Barrett’s free throw gave Missouri a 50-49 lead with 4:01 remaining, but Texas sealed the victory with a 10-1 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes.
The win was the first against an AP-Top 25 team for the Longhorns this season, and evened the all-time series record 13-13 with Missouri.
The tough SEC slate against ranked teams continues on Saturday as Texas will host rival No. 13 Texas A&M at Moody Center with tip scheduled for 1:30 PM. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
