AUSTIN, Texas — Sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter posted a career-best 26 points to lead No. 11 Texas (3-0) to an impressive 93-74 victory against No. 2 Gonzaga (2-1) on Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 11,313 fans at Moody Center. The win tied a program record for the highest-ranked AP opponent defeated and marked the fourth time in school history that the Longhorns have beaten the No. 2 team in The AP poll.
Hunter converted 9-of-14 field goals, including a 5-of-8 mark from three-point range, and 3-of-3 free throws while adding two assists, three rebounds and one steal in 26 minutes. His previous scoring high was 23 points against LSU on March 18, 2022 while at Iowa State. Graduate Marcus Carr posted 16 points while hitting 4-of-9 threes and added seven assists against just one turnover in 36 minutes.
Senior Dylan Disu tallied 12 points while converting 5-of-7 field goals, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, in 13 minutes. Graduate Sir’Jabari Rice added 11 points while hitting 6-of-6 free throws in 27 minutes. A total of seven Longhorns recorded at least seven points during the victory.
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Texas registered 17 assists against just 10 turnovers and limited Gonzaga to 10 assists while forcing 20 turnovers on the night. The Longhorns posted a 27-7 margin in points off turnovers. UT converted 51.5-percent (34-66) from the floor, including a 13-of-33 mark (.394) from three-point range.
After a Disu three-pointer gave Texas a 3-0 lead at the 18:34 mark, Gonzaga used a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to grab a 10-3 advantage following a Nolan Hickman three-pointer with 16:17 remaining. UT responded with a 9-2 spurt over a two-minute span to tie the game at 12-12 after a Carr three-pointer at the 14:08 mark.
Gonzaga took a 20-17 lead following an Anton Watson three-pointer with 11:41 left, before Texas answered with a 12-3 run over the next four-plus minutes to build a 29-23 cushion after a Rice three-pointer at the 6:54 mark. Leading 43-37 with 1:42 remaining, the Longhorns used back-to-back layups from Brock Cunningham to take a 47-37 advantage into the locker room.
The Longhorns converted 51.5-percent (17-33) from the field, including 7-of-16 (.438) three-point range, and 6-of-6 free throws in the opening 20 minutes while building their 10-point halftime cushion. Carr had 11 points while hitting 4-of-5 field goals, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, in 17 minutes of action in the first half.
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Julian Strawther hit a three-pointer at the 18:45 mark to pull the Bulldogs to within nine points (49-40), but that marked the final time that Gonzaga trailed by single digits. The Longhorns responded with a 12-2 spurt over the next two minutes to increase their margin to 61-42 after a Hunter three-pointer with 16:32 left.
The margin did not dip below 16 points for the remainder of the night. The Longhorns pushed their advantage to as much as 23 points (90-67) following a Dillon Mitchell dunk at the 3:13 mark.
Texas returns to action on Monday, Nov. 21, when it faces Northern Arizona in a neutral-site game in Edinburg, Texas. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. Central at Bert Ogden Arena, and the game will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.
Team Notes
- Texas tied a program record for the highest-ranked AP (No. 2) opponent defeated with the 93-74 victory against No. 2 Gonzaga.
- This marked the fourth time in school history that the Longhorns have topped the No. 2 team in The AP poll. The Longhorns previously defeated No. 2 Louisville (74-70) on Nov. 30, 1986 in the seventh-place game at the Great Alaska Shootout (Anchorage, Alaska); No. 2 UCLA (63-61) on Dec. 2, 2007 at Pauley Pavilion; and No. 2 Oklahoma (73-68) on Feb. 21, 2009 in Austin.
- UT improved to 1-4 in the all-time series against the Bulldogs.
- The Longhorns played before a sellout crowd at Moody Center for the third-straight game.
- UT hit 51.5-percent (34-66) from floor, including a 13-of-33 mark (.394) from three-point range, on the evening. Texas has topped the 50-percent FG shooting mark in each of its first three games this year.
- Seven UT players scored at least seven points in the victory.
- Texas registered 17 assists (on 34 field goals made) against just 10 turnovers.
- The Longhorns limited Gonzaga to 10 assists (on 25 field goals made) while forcing 20 turnovers. Texas claimed a 27-7 margin in points off turnovers.
- UT posted a 29-16 advantage in bench scoring.
- The Longhorns registered a 12-2 margin in fast-break points. Texas has recorded a 55-3 advantage in fast-break points through the opening three games.
- UT led by as much as 23 points (90-67) with 3:13 remaining in the contest.
- The Longhorns held the Bulldogs to 44.4-percent FG shooting (12-27), including a 4-of-12 (.333) mark from three-point range, in the second half.
- Texas converted 51.5-percent (17-33) from the floor, including 7-of-16 (.438) from three-point range, and 6-of-6 free throws in the first half while building a 47-37 halftime advantage.
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Marcus Carr
- Reached double figures in scoring (16 points) for the third time this season (3 games) and 88th time in his collegiate career (129 games)
- Registered a season-high seven assists against just one turnover and converted 4-of-9 from three-point range
- Posted a team-best plus-minus total of plus-22 in 36 minutes played
Dylan Disu
- Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the first time this year (3 games), fifth time at Texas (29 games) and the 31st time in his collegiate career (78 games)
- Converted 5-of-7 field goals, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, in 13 minutes played
Tyrese Hunter
- Set his career high in scoring (26 points), previous: 23 vs. LSU on March 18, 2022 while at Iowa State
- Topped the 20-point mark for the first time this year (3 games) and fourth time in his collegiate career (38 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the third time this year and the 23rd time in his collegiate career
- Tied his collegiate high in field goals made (9-of-14), including a 5-of-8 effort from three-point range, in 26 minutes played
Sir’Jabari Rice
- Reached double figures in scoring (11 points) for the third time at Texas (3 games) and the 61st time in his collegiate career (114 games)