AUSTIN — Matas Vokietaitis went 9-for-9 and had 22 points on Monday night as No. 7 Texas (1-0) beat Chicago State (0-1) 109-59 at the Moody Center. Isaiah Johnson added 18 points and five assists as five Longhorns scored in double figures and held control throughout their season opener.
Texas jumped out to a 26–8 lead in the first nine minutes and led by as many as 56–30 at halftime (67.7% from field) after Chicago State had cut it to 24 points early in the second half. But back-to-back three pointers from Elyjah Freeman and Johnson got Texas back up by 30 and there was no way for the Cougars to come back after that.
Joe Sterling led the freshmen with 14 points in just 15 minutes played (four of six from three point range). Amari Evans had 11 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Spears Jr. had 11 points, five rebounds and four blocks. Austin Goosby had eight assists and seven rebounds, and Vokietaitis had six boards. For Chicago State Will Lovings-Watts scored 13 points.
The Longhorns shot 62.5% (13 of 26 three-pointers) and outrebounded Chicago State 44–22. Sean Miller’s team showed that they could score inside with Vokietaitis and surrounding shooters, but Sterling, Spears and Goosby also contributed on offense (Sterling had five points). It was a good debut for the freshmen and not just the scorers.
Up next for Texas is Gardner-Webb (0-1) on Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 PM at Moody Center.
