WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Matt Coleman’s 22 points paced the Texas Longhorns (2-0) to a 70-66 win over #23 Purdue (1-1) at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette on Saturday night. The Longhorns benefited from the return of sophmore forward Gerald Liddell, who missed the season opener earlier in the week due to concussion protocol. Liddell contributed 14 points in the win over the Boilermakers.
Sasha Stefanovic led Purdue in scoring with 14 points, and Jahaad Proctor and Eric Hunter Jr. each scored 12 points.
Texas shot 53.3% from the field while Purdue shot 41% from the field. The Longhorns committed 16 turnovers compared to 14 for the Boilermakers.
Purdue’s 18 game home winning streak came to an end with the loss to the Longhorns, who have won their last seven games dating back to last season’s NIT tournament.
Texas trailed the Boilermakers by five points with just over three minutes remaining, but seven consecutive points by the Longhorns, including a 3-pointer by Jase Febres, gave Texas a 64-62 lead with 1:25 left in the contest. Free throws made by Andrew Jones and Coleman down the stretch allowed Texas to hold on for the upset victory.
Texas will host California Baptist on Tuesday at 7:00 PM in the Empire Classic Benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. The game will be televised on Longhorn Network.
