Tennessee State gave Texas all they could handle on Monday night, but the Longhorns ultimately prevailed. Matt Coleman hit the game-winning floater with 10 seconds left to help the Longhorns avoid what would have been a terrible loss. Dylan Osetkowski led the Longhorns with 16 points and 7 rebounds.
Texas struggled mightily shooting the ball the entire night, combining to go 18-51 (35.3%) from the field and 3-21 (14.3%) from 3. Despite his game-winning shot, Coleman had another tough game filled with turnovers and an inability to get the offense in a flow. Mo Bamba finished the game 4 points and was a non-factor for much of the night.
Tennessee State looked like the better team for much of the night. The Tigers got a huge game from Christian Mekowulu (15 points and 11 rebounds) and found success running a 2-3 zone defense. Tennessee State went on an 8-0 run to take a 46-45 lead into the closing seconds, but it was not enough. Following Coleman’s floater, the Tigers took an ill-advised deep 3 with time remaining on the clock.
Playing without Eric Davis Jr. for the second straight game, Shaka Smart was forced to go with a 7 man rotation. Freshman Jericho Simms and Jace Febres were the only Longhorns coming off the bench, with Simms playing extended minutes in the second half.
The Longhorns will have a lot to clean up as they prepare for their final non-conference game of the season against Alabama on Friday. That matchup will take place in Birmingham on Friday at 8PM CST on ESPN2.
