The Texas Longhorns (5-1) left Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York with a 67-58 victory over the St. Joesph’s Hawks. Rodney Terry’s club also brought back some hardware to Austin, claiming the UKG Legends Classic Championship and their first multi-team event title in four years.
Friday night’s winning effort was led by freshman Tre Johnson, who delivered a game-high 17 point performance. Senior forward Arthur Kaluma had another solid night on the court, contributing 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
The Longhorns led 32-30 headed into the half, with the lead changing many times in the first half. The second half was similar to what transpired in the first half, but down the stretch the Longhorns made shots when they mattered. An 8-0 run by Texas with just over two minutes remaining and a pair of free throws each by Julian Larry and Arthur Kaluma sealed the win.
The Longhorns shot 43.6% from the floor and 38.9% from three point range. Defensively, Texas held the Hawks to just 58 points on the night and just 30.4% from beyond the arc.
Tre Johnson walked away with tournament MVP honors after reaching double digits in scoring in every game played this season.
Texas resumes play at home on Friday, November 29 at 8:00 PM as they host Delaware State.